You're actually getting better value now than you did in 2001.
Everything's getting more expensive. Well, almost everything. From personal computers to video game consoles, prices for most gadgets have increased massively, in part due to the ongoing RAM crisis. Home internet costs, however, haven't changed much despite witnessing big improvements in performance and bandwidth.
Fiber-optic cables, advancements in routers and new standards like Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 continue to boost real-world internet speeds. Latency has also improved meaningfully, with split-second commands transmitted far more quickly and reliably today than two decades ago.
Comparing price per megabit, costs have actually plummeted since the early 2000s. You might pay a similar amount, but performance is significantly better than two decades ago. ISPs also generally offer several plans at varying price points, letting you scale up or cut down based on your needs. Let's take a trip down memory lane and see how much internet prices have changed since the early 2000s.
About half of America's households had access to the internet in 2001, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At the time, consumers could get unlimited dial-up internet for as low as $21.95 a month from AT&T WorldNet, with EarthLink also charging users $21.95 as of June 2001.
