Paying for an internet connection can get expensive. You likely have a limited number of options to choose from based on where you live, and the available companies probably package services together and incorporate all kinds of hidden fees. It can pay to have the fastest internet available, but what are you paying over the course of, say, your entire life?
According to Reviews.org, the average global lifetime cost for internet is $18,584.96—but that's nowhere close to what US residents pay to connect. You can expect to pay about $32,400 for internet over your lifetime, which is $6,266.16 more than the next-most-expensive country, Japan.
Looking at the 20 countries with the most internet users, Russia pays the least for internet—only a $4,762.80 lifetime bill. Other cheaper options include Iran, Vietnam, and India. For those wondering, European countries such as France, Italy, Germany, and the UK pay only $15K, $21K, $18K, and $23K, respectively. Mexico, our closest neighbor on the list, pays just $21k over a single lifetime.
The only country on the list that costs more money than the United States is Nigeria, which pays $50,680 to gain access to the internet over a lifetime. That's $18K more than US residents pay and 10.6 times more than what it costs for internet access in Russia.
We may pay far more money than most countries, but some of the cheaper options out there come with a healthy dose of censorship and government-imposed restrictions. Just last year, Russia disconnected from the rest of the internet, and India was taken offline 121 separate time. Because of heavy censorship in China, we also can't recommend the use of a VPN while within the country's borders.