Stop Overpaying for Internet: This Easy Trick Uncovers Its True Value

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We all just want a reliable home internet connection at a fair price, but finding one can get confusing fast. For starters, costs will vary depending on the type of connection you’re shopping for (cable, fiber, 5G, etc.), and you’ll need to be ready to compare multiple plans from multiple providers to find the best value. That’s easier said than done when you’re contending with hidden fees, pricing traps and salespeople trying to convince you to pay more for speeds you may not actually need.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to find and compare the value of your internet options: Calculate the cost per Mbps. Just as you’d use miles per gallon to evaluate a car’s fuel efficiency, the cost per Mbps is a simple cost efficiency metric that compares the speed (Mbps) of an internet plan to the price you’ll pay for it. It’s a measurement we often turn to here at CNET when we’re reviewing internet providers or searching for the best internet deals.

So what, exactly, is the cost per Mbps, and how do you find it? And what does Mbps even mean? Let’s dive right in.

This article was made possible in part by Xfinity. It was written and edited independently without partner oversight.

What is Mbps? 

Mbps, or megabits per second, is a measure of how fast the data transmitted through your internet connection is sent or received per second — the miles per hour that data travels along the information superhighway. If you’re comparing two internet plans, the one with more Mbps will offer faster internet speeds and better capacity for multiple devices to use your network at the same time.

Most internet service providers use Mbps to advertise the max speeds each plan offers, though some may also use Gbps, or gigabits per second (1 gigabit = 1,000 megabits). Many ISPs offer a variety of speeds. AT&T Fiber, for example, offers plans with speeds of 300Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gbps and 5Gbps.

Speeds will vary from provider to provider, but according to the FCC, internet plans need to offer downloads of at least 100Mbps and uploads of at least 20Mbps in order to qualify as “broadband.” If you have questions about how much speed your household needs, be sure to check out our household guide on internet usage.

What does ‘cost per Mbps’ mean?

The cost per Mbps is the ratio of the monthly rate and the advertised speed. Specifically, it estimates what you’re paying per megabit per second, not including taxes and fees.

It’s just like the cost per kWh for your electric bill, or per-unit pricing at the grocery store. A 16-ounce jar of peanut butter, for example, might cost $2.98, which breaks down to unit pricing of 19 cents per ounce. A 40-ounce jar might cost $5.50, amounting to 13 cents per ounce. $2.98 is cheaper than $5.50, but you’re getting a better cost per unit for the 40-ounce jar.

The purpose of per-unit pricing for food is the same as it is for broadband: to quickly compare the value of multiple products by showing the cost per unit.

Cost per Mbps is essentially the same thing. It’s per-unit pricing for your internet to help you quickly compare value between different plans with different speeds. That said, while most groceries will typically list per-unit costs right on the price tag, internet providers aren’t as forthcoming. That means that you’ll need to calculate the cost per Mbps yourself, but don’t worry — it’s not hard.

How to calculate cost per Mbps

To find the cost per Mbps, take the plan’s advertised monthly rate, excluding any anticipated taxes and fees. Now, divide that cost by the plan’s max speed. That’s it, you’re done.

Take the Verizon Fios 300Mbps plan. Service starts at $35 a month for download speeds up to 300Mbps. $35 divided by 300 equals a cost of around 11.7 cents per Mbps. That’s pretty good, but what about Verizon’s slightly faster Fios plan with speeds up to 500Mbps? That one costs $60 per month, and $60 divided by 500 gives us a cost per Mbps of 12 cents. It’s close, but in this case, the 300Mbps plan is the slightly better value.

Again, you’ll want to omit potential taxes and fees from the equation, but keep in mind that some ISPs include equipment fees in the monthly cost, while others charge it separately. For example, Spectrum Internet’s 500Mbps plan starts at $40 a month (8 cents per Mbps), but renting a router (it’s optional) adds $10 to your bill for an all-in cost of $50 a month, or 10 cents per Mbps. But Spectrum will waive the $10 router fee on its $60 1 Gig plan, bringing the cost per Mbps to only 8 cents. Also, look out for equipment upgrade fees, meaning a router may be included, but an upgraded Wi-Fi 7 mesh system may cost you extra.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to be aware of introductory versus standard rates, if applicable. Remember that $60 1 Gig plan from Spectrum for 8 cents per Mbps? That price is only good for one year. After the promotional period, you can expect it to almost double. 

What is a good cost per Mbps?

When we scored, ranked and evaluated 30 ISPs in 2026, we used cost per Mbps to account for 50% of each ISP’s final score. We awarded 9s and 10s to the ISPs that offered between 4 and 10 cents per Mbps. GFiber earned CNET’s Best Value score of 9.6 out of 10, with costs per Mbps ranging from 1.9 to 7 cents. We found the average cost per Mbps across all 30 ISPs we evaluated to be 26.93 cents per Mbps, with median costs of about 4 cents per Mbps for entry-level plans and about 12.5 cents per Mbps for top-tier plans.

It’s most useful when comparing plans between providers

Evaluating the cost per Mbps of a single provider’s plans will show the value of upgrading to a faster speed tier. That said, the cost per Mbps metric is perhaps most practical when you use it to compare the value between different providers in your area.

Say you’re comparing plans from Cox and AT&T Fiber. Cox starts at $30 monthly for speeds up to 100Mbps in select areas, whereas AT&T Fiber starts at $35 for 300Mbps. Cox’s plan costs less per month, but has a steep cost per Mbps of 30 cents. Meanwhile, AT&T Fiber’s cost per Mbps is 11.6 cents for speeds that are three times as fast. Even though it’s more expensive, AT&T Fiber is a much better value.

Below is a look at the average cost per Mbps of some of the top cable and fiber internet providers. Since these are averages, individual plans from each provider will have a higher or lower starting price, faster or slower speeds and thus a higher or lower cost per Mbps.

Cost per Mbps per ISP we evaluated in 2026

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Key takeaways from this chart: 

• Fiber offers the best value: Major fiber providers such as Frontier Fiber, Google Fiber and Optimum deliver some of the lowest average costs, around 2 to 3 cents per Mbps.
• Satellite is significantly more expensive: Satellite internet options such as Hughesnet and Viasat have the highest per-unit costs, with rates ranging from roughly 46 to nearly 160 cents per Mbps.
• Cable sits in the mid-range: Popular cable providers such as Spectrum and Xfinity average between 6 and 8 cents per Mbps.
• 5G home internet varies widely: Wireless options such as T-Mobile 5G and Verizon 5G trend higher, with costs spanning from about 35 cents to over 120 cents per Mbps. 5G plans give you a wide range of potential speeds. When we calculated the cost per Mbps for 5G plans, we used the low end of the advertised speeds. Depending on your 5G connection, you may get faster speeds and a better (lower) cost per Mbps.
• Speed generally lowers per-unit cost: Across most top providers, plans with higher download speeds tend to offer a lower cost per Mbps, provided the household actually utilizes the extra bandwidth.
• Average low-end cost per Mbps: 17¢ per Mbps
• Median low-end cost per Mbps: 4¢ per Mbps 
• Average high-end cost per Mbps: 37¢ per Mbps 
• Median high-end cost per Mbps: 12.5¢ per Mbps

Final thoughts on comparing home internet plans

Cost per Mbps is worth considering when shopping for home internet, but it shouldn’t be the sole deciding factor when choosing a provider or plan. In fact, if you go by cost per Mbps alone, you’re probably going to end up with the fastest and most expensive plan, and it’ll likely be a fiber internet plan, since fiber offers lightning-fast speeds up to 50,000Mbps.

To simplify the process, start by comparing the connection types, speeds and pricing available at your address. Next, look at the service conditions — equipment fees, data caps and promotional prices — which usually give one provider the advantage over another. You should also have a good idea of how much internet speed you need and what kind of budget you’d like to stick to.

Finally, when it’s time to choose a specific plan, assess the cost per Mbps of the top contenders to determine which plans offer the speed you need for the best value.

For more tips on finding the right internet provider and plan for your home and making the most of your services, visit the CNET Home Internet hub page.

Ry Crist

Contributor

Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor from 2013 to 2024 and now freelance contributor, Ry's beats included smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking. See full bio

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