Mobile data plans in Canada are known for being expensive – but how do they compare to plans around the world?
HelloSafe, a financial products comparison site, has released a new report ranking the countries with the most expensive mobile data, and unsurprisingly, Canada made the list.
According to the report, the True North ranked 10th among countries with the most expensive mobile data in the world.
The ranking is based on the price of 1GB of data per country in September 2023. In Canada, the average price per 1GB is $7.36, making it the 10th most expensive country in the world.
“1GB of mobile data costs 26 times more in Canada than in France ($0.28),” the report said.
In the map below you can see that there are many countries that pay less than a dollar per 1GB of data.
Italians save the most on their phone plans, paying just 12 cents per GB!
Visit HelloSafe Canada for more tools.
Compared to countries with comparable living standards, only Switzerland ($9.99 per 1GB), the US ($8.22 per 1GB) and New Zealand ($8.07 per 1GB) pay more for their mobile data than Canadians .
But compared to the most expensive countries, it's really not that bad.
“The world record for the most expensive mobile data is held by the unfortunate residents of Zimbabwe, who paid an average of almost $60 for a GB of mobile data in September 2023!” HelloSafe reported.
Yemen and Turkmenistan follow behind, paying well over $10 per 1GB of data.
Visit HelloSafe Canada for more tools.
The report also compared mobile data prices in Canada.
According to HelloSafe, Saskatchewan is the cheapest in the country, averaging $20 for a 1GB plan.
“This result is due to the presence of the operator Sasktel, which allows it to compete with the monopoly of the three historical market players – Telus, Rogers and Bell,” the report said.
This is thanks to an agreement between the telecommunications giants and the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that allows regional companies access to their networks.
As you can see below, the average price of mobile data plans in other major cities varies between $28 and $29.
Visit HelloSafe Canada for more tools.
These prices are based on the Government of Canada report on the cost of purchasing 1GB of standalone data on mobile wireless smartphone plans.
The ranking is based on data collected by Cable.co.uk from June to September based on analysis of a representative sample of 5,000 mobile packages from 233 countries and territories around the world.
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