NBN 500 plan prices: how much should you be paying for the super-speedy new tier? I've done the maths

When new NBN 500 plans began planting in September 2025, it was immediately clear that they would be the best option for most Australian homes. The fact that they offer speeds of up to 500Mbps – which I think is more than enough for most users – and cost around the same (in most cases) as the NBN 100 plans they replaced makes for a pretty unbeatable combination.

However, while overall this is good value for money, there is still a big difference in the provider's monthly fee for the new tier, and the average monthly cost of an NBN 500 plan (excluding any introductory discounts) is still slightly under AU$95 – AU$94.97 to be exact.

Of course, this is just a guideline figure, and you can easily spend less if you're smart when shopping for a provider. To paint a clearer picture, I've highlighted a number of new NBN 500 plans based on specific pricing criteria, so read on to find out what I think you should pay for 500Mbps broadband in Australia.

Best NBN 500 plan

Cheapest NBN 500 plan continues

Most expensive NBN 500 plan

How does NBN 500 compare to other tiers in terms of cost per megabit?

It's easy for me to say that the NBN 500 plans are amazing value, but what does the data say? Quick answer: This goes a long way to confirming that claim.

However, to explain things more clearly, I've calculated the cost per megabit for the NBN 50, NBN 100, NBN 500, NBN 750 and NBN 1000 plans, taking into account the average monthly price of each tier and the average typical evening speed claims they make.

These calculations not only prove how much better value the NBN 500 plan is compared to the much slower 50Mbps and 100Mbps plans, but also that the gigabit plan is in some ways even more cost-effective.

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Speed level	Cost per MB
NBN 50	AUD 1.69
NBN 100	AUD 1.03
NBN 500	AUD 0.19
NBN 750	AUD 0.15
1000 NBN	AUD 0.14

These figures clearly show that you get a lot more megabits on high speed plans – you know, the most important aspect of an NBN plan for your money, and we all like to get the most bang for our buck, don't we?

These figures also highlight, in the case of NBN 1000 in particular, how much its value proposition has improved over time. I've been tracking NBN plan prices and speed claims since 2023, and even comparing these most recent figures to September 2024 figures, I see an improvement.

A year ago, with fewer providers offering a gigabit plan, speed requirements weren't as good as they are today and prices were generally higher, with the average cost per megabit being 18 cents (although shopping around is still highly recommended as some NBN 1000 plans are admittedly more expensive now compared to a year ago). another way.