- Household bills have risen by £36 billion[1] since ‘Awful April’ price rises kicked in[1]
- Broadband and mobile bills have jumped by an average of £215 and £121 a year respectively[2]
- With higher bills, a quarter (25%) are cutting down on takeaways, and one in ten (12%) have stopped saving altogether[3]
- Customers who haven’t switched providers for 4-6 years are the worst hit, paying an average of £21.60 extra per month for broadband and £12 for mobile[4]
- Uswitch experts are urging Brits to check their contracts to see if they can switch and break the cycle of overpaying
Household bills have soared by £36 billion since March[1], according to new research by comparison and switching service, Uswitch.com, hitting the nation’s wallets hard.
Monthly bills for UK households have risen by an average of £104.50 since March and April’s bill hikes took effect - equivalent to £1,254 a year. Affected broadband customers will pay an additional £214.80 per year, while mobile users face an average annual increase of £121[2].
Council tax has proved the costliest bill hike, with an increase of £32.50 per month, or £390 per year[5], followed by energy bills which have risen by £22.50 per month or £270 over the year.
More than monetary impact
This year’s March and April bill increases have left six in 10 people (63%) concerned about the impact on their lives, with millennials (aged 28–43) the most worried at 71%, compared to 53% of those aged 60–78.
As the cost of living continues to climb, Brits are having to make tough financial decisions. One in five (20%) say they have reduced the money they have been putting into savings, while one in ten (12%) have stopped saving altogether as a result of rising bills.
Compromises are also having to be made when it comes to lifestyle choices, with a quarter (25%) of Brits having cut down on takeaways, days out with friends and family (23%) and holidays (22%) in response to higher household costs[3].
Loyalty penalty
On average, Brits have stayed with their mobile provider for five years, and with their broadband provider for four and a half [6]. But this loyalty may be costing them, as those who stick with the same provider the longest are often hit hardest, with inflation-linked price hikes compounding year after year.
Broadband customers who remained with their provider for four to five years were the worst off, paying on average £23.50 extra – 31% more than the national average price rise of £17.90.
Those who switched their broadband provider less than one year ago saw their price rise come in lower than the national average at £16.40[7].
Table 1: Average amount broadband bills have increased by since March 2025[8]
| Length of time spent with same provider | Average monthly increase in 2025 |
| Less than one year | £16.40 |
| 1-2 years | £17.60 |
| 2-3 years | £17.90 |
| 3-4 years | £20.40 |
| 4-5 years | £23.50 |
| 5-6 years | £18.20 |
Similarly, mobile customers across both pay-monthly and SIM-only contracts who were with their mobile provider for five to six years have been dealt a larger month-on-month price increase than those who switched their provider more recently, working out an average of £12.30 – a 22% increase on the £10.10 national average price rise[9].
Table 2: Average amount mobile bills have increased by since March 2025[10]
| Length of time spent with same provider | Average monthly increase in 2025 |
| Less than one year | £10.90 |
| 1-2 years | £10.50 |
| 2-3 years | £11.60 |
| 3-4 years | £10.70 |
| 4-5 years | £11.80 |
| 5-6 years | £12.30 |
Sabrina Hoque, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “It’s clear the ‘Awful April’ price rises have not just had a huge impact on Brits’ everyday lives but also important financial decisions such as savings.
“While you may not be able to offset every bill hike, there may be savings available on mobile and broadband bills, especially if you are out of contract and have been with the same provider for a while.
“If you’re out of contract on your mobile and broadband package, you’re almost certainly overpaying - we’ve found that on average you could save £181 simply by switching broadband providers[11]. This is especially true for long-standing customers on inflation-linked contracts, as year-on-year mid-contract price rises can compound over time, leading to significantly higher costs.
“It’s worth also considering several regional broadband providers that may offer great value compared to the larger providers. These full-fibre providers, such as Trooli and YouFibre, often offer faster speeds at lower prices, and many don’t raise their prices mid-contract.
“Mobile customers could also save a significant amount. If you already have a phone that you’re happy to continue using, switching to a SIM only contract could save you £351 a year[12]. To check your mobile contract status, simply text INFO to 85075 to see if it's due to expire - and whether you could save by switching providers.”
Check out the latest broadband and mobile deals at Uswitch.com
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 2 May 2025 – 6 May 2025.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly broadband bill (including any bundled packages) increased since March?” The average was £17.90. 17.90 X 12 = £214.80 annually. £214.80 X 77% of broadband bill payers (77% of UK adult population is 41,649,966) – divided by 1.9 to get no. households = 21,921,035. Per month amount = 317,855,007. Per year amount = 3,814,260,085. Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly mobile phone bill increased since March?” The average was £10.10. 10.10 X 12 = £121.20 annually. £121.20 X (91% of mobile bill payers. 91% of UK adult population is 49,129,076). Per month amount = 496,203,663. Per year amount = 5,954,443,960. Energy – increase 22.50 * no. Brits 54,196,443 = 1,219,419,968 – divided by 1.9 to get no. households = 641,799,983. Multiplied by 12 to get per year = 7,701,599,795. Water – increase 21.50 * no. Brits 54,196,443 = 1,165,223,525 – divided by 1.9 to get no. households = 613,275,539. Multiplied by 12 to get per year = 7,359,306,471. Council Tax – increase 32.50 * no. Brits 54,196,443 = 1,761,384,398 – divided by 1.9 to get no. households = 927,044,420. Multiplied by 12 to get per year = 11,124,533,037. Sum of all totals = £35,954,143,347.35
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly broadband bill (including any bundled packages) increased since March?” The average was £17.90. 17.90 X 12 = £214.80 annually. Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly mobile phone bill increased since March?” The average was £10.10. 10.10 X 12 = £121.20 annually. Respondents were asked “Approximately how much, if at all, have each of the following household bills increased since March?” The average for energy was £22.50, the average for water was £21.50 and the average for council tax was £32.50. 32.50 x 12 = 390. 22.50 energy + 21.50 water + 32.50 council tax + 17.90 broadband + 10.10 mobile = £104.50. 104.50 x 12 = £1,254.
- Respondents were asked “To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?” for “I’m worried about how household bill price rises will impact my life”. 63% of respondents selected “Strongly agree” and “Slightly agree”. 71% of millennial respondents aged 28-43 selected “Strongly agree” and “Slightly agree”. 53% of those aged 60-78 selected “Strongly agree” and “Slightly agree”. Respondents were asked “Have you done any of the following due to concerns around rising household bills?” 20% of respondents selected “Reduced the amount of money I’m putting into savings”. 12% of respondents selected “Stopped putting money into savings altogether”. Respondents were asked “Have you done any of the following due to concerns around rising household bills?” 25% of respondents selected “stopped ordering takeaways”, 23% of respondents selected “Cut back on days out with friends/family”, 22% of respondents selected “cut back on holidays”.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly broadband bill (including any bundled packages) increased since March?” The average for those who had been with their broadband provider for 4-5 years was £21.60. The average for those who had been with their broadband provider for less than one year was £16.40. Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly mobile phone bill increased since March?” The average for those who had been with their mobile phone provider for 5-6 years was £12.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately how much, if at all, have each of the following household bills increased since March?” Council tax went up by an average of £32.50 followed by energy bills at £22.50.
- Respondents were asked “How long have you been with the same provider for?” The average for mobile was 5 years. The average for broadband was 4.5 years.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly broadband bill (including any bundled packages) increased since March?” The average for those who had been with their broadband provider for 4-5 years was £23.50. The average for those who had been with their broadband provider for less than one year was £16.45.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly broadband bill (including any bundled packages) increased since March?” Respondents who had been with the same broadband provider for less than six months averaged out at £15.80; for six months to one year was £17.10; for 1-2 years was £17.60; for 2-3 years was £17.90; for 3-4 years was £20.40; for 4-5 years was £23.50; for 5-6 years was £18.20.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly mobile phone bill increased since March?” The average for those who had been with their mobile phone provider for 5-6 years was £12.30.
- Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly mobile phone bill increased since March?” Respondents who had been with the same mobile provider for less than six months averaged out at £9.70; for six months to one year was £11.30; for 1-2 years was £10.50; for 2-3 years was £11.60; for 3-4 years was £10.70; for 4-5 years was £11.80; for 5-6 years was £12.30.
- Switching to a new broadband deal after your initial contract has ended could save you £181 (£180.83) a year. This calculation is based on the average 12-month out of contract cost calculated in January 2025 between Sky Superfast Broadband, Sky Full Fibre, Virgin Media M125 Ultrafast Broadband, Vodafone Fibre 2 and Vodafone Full Fibre 500 , (£546.96), compared to the average yearly cost of the most popular five new deals (Sky Superfast at £357.00 per year, Sky Ultrafast Plus Broadband at £429.00, Virgin Media Ultrafast at £324.00, Vodafone Full Fibre 500 at £393.00 and Vodafone Fibre 2 at £333.00). Calculations include mid-contract price rises. Correct as of 1st January 2025
- Switching from an ending 24-month handset contract to a SIM-only contract (and keeping your existing handset) could save you £351 (£350.95) per year (see point 4). £351 times 5,067,300 (number of people out of contract on handset phones, see point 3) means that as a nation we could save £1,778,622,300 per year.
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to find their energy, broadband and mobile deals than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.