Free tool
eSIM trip cost calculator
Don't know how many gigabytes you need? Start from what you actually do online — the estimator below turns your apps into GB, then into the single cheapest real plan that covers your trip.
Usage estimator
How much data do you need for your trip?
Set roughly how many hours a day you spend on each activity. We convert the hours into gigabytes using the rates in our reference table below — then hand the total straight to the calculator.
Your daily usage
— GB / day
For your 7-day trip, rounded up
— GB
Sets your data need in the calculator below and re-picks the winner from real plans.
Data need
How it works
A plan matches when its validity covers your trip and its data covers your need. Unlimited plans always satisfy the data test; the fair-use caps are listed on each comparison page.
Prices in USD, excluding promo codes and taxes. Data re-checked on the dates shown on each country page.
The rates
How much data each app uses per hour
Typical rates at default quality settings — the same numbers the estimator above uses. Apps vary, and a video app's quality setting matters far more than which app it is; treat these as planning numbers and let the 20% margin absorb the difference.
| Activity | Typical data use | What 1GB buys you |
|---|---|---|
| Web browsing & email | 60 MB/hour | ≈ 17.1 hours |
| Navigation & maps | 70 MB/hour | ≈ 14.6 hours |
| Social media | 150 MB/hour | ≈ 6.8 hours |
| Music streaming | 50 MB/hour | ≈ 20.5 hours |
| Online gaming | 40 MB/hour | ≈ 25.6 hours |
| Video calls (VoIP) | 600 MB/hour | ≈ 1.7 hours |
| SD video streaming | 700 MB/hour | ≈ 1.5 hours |
| HD video streaming | 1500 MB/hour | ≈ 0.7 hours |
| Email without attachments | 5 MB/hour | ≈ 205 hours |
| Video upload (1080p) | 1,200 MB/hour | ≈ 0.9 hours |
| Photo upload to cloud | 3 MB per photo | ≈ 341 photos |
Rates are industry-typical figures at default app quality; streaming at 4K or auto-quality on a big screen can double them. Our methodology documents how every price these rates feed into is collected.
Popular destinations
eSIM prices for the most compared destinations
The destinations where the most providers compete — usually where prices are sharpest. Every card opens the full country table with every plan side by side.
Argentina
from $0.51
Australia
from $0.51
Austria
from $0.51
Belgium
from $0.51
Brazil
from $0.51
Canada
from $0.51
China
from $0.51
Colombia
from $4.00
Costa Rica
from $3.00
Croatia
from $0.51
Czechia
from $0.51
Egypt
from $0.51
“From” is the cheapest plan any provider sells in that country. All 50 destinations are in the country index and ranked by $/GB in the eSIM price index.
Providers
Compare eSIM providers side by side
Every brand whose plans we track, with the cheapest listing we have ever recorded from it. Full pricing behavior — where each is cheapest and where it stings — is on its review page, and pair-by-pair verdicts live in the matchup index.
Airalo
50 countries covered
plans from $4.00 · cheapest in United Arab Emirates
aloSIM
50 countries covered
plans from $3.50 · cheapest in Belgium
Holafly
50 countries covered
plans from $10.90 · cheapest in Mexico
Roami
50 countries covered
plans from $1.99 · cheapest in Austria
Roamic
50 countries covered
plans from $1.00 · cheapest in Austria
Saily
50 countries covered
plans from $2.99 · cheapest in Czechia
Ubigi
50 countries covered
plans from $2.90 · cheapest in United States
Yesim
50 countries covered
plans from $0.51 · cheapest in United Arab Emirates
Two brands on your shortlist? Every pairing — Airalo vs Holafly included — is scored country by country in the provider matchups.
FAQ
How do you pick the right eSIM plan for your trip
How much data do I need for a week abroad?
It depends on what you do online, not how long you travel. At the rates in our table, 5GB covers about 85 hours of browsing and email or 34 hours of social scrolling — but only 3.4 hours of HD video. Rule of thumb: email-and-maps travelers fit in 1-2GB, a normal mix of browsing, social and music fits 5GB, and daily video streaming pushes past 10GB. The estimator above totals your own hours in seconds.
Is 5GB of eSIM data enough for my trip?
If the week is mostly browsing, maps and messaging, yes — 5GB buys roughly 85 hours of browsing or 73 hours of navigation. If you stream video daily, no: 5GB is about 7.3 hours of SD or 3.4 hours of HD video, and a single travel-evening of streaming can burn half of it. Run your real hours through the estimator with the 20%!m(MISSING)argin on, and if the total clears 2GB a day, price an unlimited plan too.
When is an unlimited eSIM cheaper than a fixed data plan?
When your daily usage clears the country's break-even — its best unlimited daily rate divided by its best metered $/GB. Heavy streamers usually cross it; email-and-maps travelers almost never do. Compare both sides on your destination's page, and before buying any 'unlimited' listing, check what its fair-use policy actually throttles in our fair-use audit — every unlimited plan's note is quoted verbatim there.
This calculator is powered by our full price database — embed it on your own travel site (link back to eSIM Sift, and we'll keep the data fresh). See the methodology.