Also, if you didn't need so much bandwidth, is it possible to just order a basic 100Mb/10mb connection for a nominal fee of, say, 30Euro?
The speeds in the US aren't actually that bad, but you're basically forced to pay for everything: paid cable TV, equipment rental fees, etc, and your $40 plan ends up creeping towards $100 / month after the fees and taxes, with increases every year.
This varies greatly by locale and is not uniform across the USA. In Berkeley, California I have fiber service that terminates in my own equipment, no rented equipment and no bundled services (TV, phone, etc). It's nominally symmetric gigabit service for $40/month.
For me, in NL, it's about 55 Euro per month for 200/200 fiber and TV (including fees and taxes). Unfortunately this increases every year in NL as well.
Central / East Europe sounds like a paradise sometimes. Cheap rent, more conservative cultures, and fast internet at low speeds.
What I'm guessing, though, is that 10EUR internet and 200EUR apartment rentals are the equivalent of our $70 internet and $1500 one bedroom apartments when adjusted for salaries.
Also, if you didn't need so much bandwidth, is it possible to just order a basic 100Mb/10mb connection for a nominal fee of, say, 30Euro?
The speeds in the US aren't actually that bad, but you're basically forced to pay for everything: paid cable TV, equipment rental fees, etc, and your $40 plan ends up creeping towards $100 / month after the fees and taxes, with increases every year.