Pre-paids typically seem to be cheaper, at least they are where I live. Don’t just look at the rates, but look at the coverage, too. Different regions have better coverage with different companies.
And, you should be able to take your number with you wherever you go. Hubby started his business cell number at at&t, switched to tmobile, and now we have simple mobile, and his number never changed. simple mobile works best for us as it works off tmobile towers, is prepaid, and we have two lines for what we paid for just one at the other companies.
the only problem with prepaids is you often have to take your phone with you but pay a small price for a sim card (like with simple mobile) or you end up with an older model phone (like those you buy at the store).