Prices for many are inflated. Typically the really expensive bills are for 2-year contracts with the price of the phone subsidized. US carriers really like to chisel you on data plans as well.
Personally, I pay $30 a month to T-Mobile, no contract, I bring my own phone and I get unlimited data (5GB at LTE, speed throttled thereafter) and unlimited SMS with 100 minutes. It's possible to go cheaper if you're willing to give up data entirely through a number of MVNOs.
Personally, I pay $30 a month to T-Mobile, no contract, I bring my own phone and I get unlimited data (5GB at LTE, speed throttled thereafter) and unlimited SMS with 100 minutes. It's possible to go cheaper if you're willing to give up data entirely through a number of MVNOs.