We built this index so travellers, travel writers and tour operators have a reference figure they can check: what it actually costs to stay online at a destination, which regions are cheapest, and where you should budget more for mobile data. Every figure comes from the public corelinx.net catalogue and is calculated with the method described at the end. The index will be updated monthly.
5 key findings
- The median 7-day plan across 40 destinations is US$6.52. In half of the countries, a week of mobile data costs that much or less.
- Vietnam is the cheapest destination: 7 days with 1 GB per day from US$2.66, followed by Singapore and Malaysia (US$3.04), South Korea (US$3.14) and Turkey (US$3.26).
- East Asia is 2.7 times cheaper than the Middle East & North Africa. The median 7-day plan is US$3.87 in East Asia versus US$10.45 in the Middle East & North Africa.
- For umrah pilgrims, a 7-day Saudi Arabia plan starts at US$8.37 (1 GB per day) — almost twice the equivalent plan for Japan (US$4.28).
- The lowest cost per GB is in Thailand and Vietnam, about US$0.14 per GB on 50 GB, 10-day plans — a good fit for heavy users such as content creators.
Regional overview
Figures in this table are medians of the countries in each region, so one very expensive country (such as the Maldives) does not distort the regional figure.
| Region | Countries | Median 7-day plan | Median cost per GB | Median per day (daily ≥1 GB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Asia | 9 | US$4.25 | US$0.31 | US$0.56 |
| East Asia | 6 | US$3.87 | US$0.51 | US$0.52 |
| South & Central Asia | 5 | US$13.10 | US$1.55 | US$1.71 |
| Middle East & North Africa | 8 | US$10.45 | US$1.22 | US$1.30 |
| Europe | 8 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – (no daily plans) |
| Oceania & North America | 4 | US$5.84 | US$0.61 | US$0.75 |
Southeast Asia and East Asia are the most affordable regions. Europe sits in the middle: the eight European countries in the index have almost identical cheapest 7-day plans (US$6.52 for 10 GB, US$6.27 in France) because most plans there also work across several European countries. As of 3 October 2026 the catalogue had no 1 GB-per-day plans for Europe, so the per-day column is empty; the options are fixed-data or unlimited plans.
Full table: 40 countries
Prices in US dollars as listed in the catalogue. Click a country to see every plan.
| Country | Region | Starting price | Cheapest 7-day plan | Lowest cost per GB | Per day (daily plan ≥1 GB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Southeast Asia | US$0.58 | US$3.04 | US$0.31 | US$0.38 |
| Malaysia | Southeast Asia | US$0.18 | US$3.04 | US$0.31 | US$0.36 |
| Thailand | Southeast Asia | US$0.58 | US$3.43 | US$0.14 | US$0.49 |
| Vietnam | Southeast Asia | US$0.57 | US$2.66 | US$0.14 | US$0.29 |
| Philippines | Southeast Asia | US$0.92 | US$5.06 | US$0.59 | US$0.63 |
| Cambodia | Southeast Asia | US$0.95 | US$5.25 | US$0.55 | US$0.66 |
| Laos | Southeast Asia | US$1.25 | US$8.43 | US$0.29 | US$1.08 |
| Brunei | Southeast Asia | US$5.19 | – | US$6.90 | – |
| Timor-Leste | Southeast Asia | US$2.69 | US$22.63 | US$3.58 | US$2.98 |
| Japan | East Asia | US$0.78 | US$4.28 | US$0.57 | US$0.54 |
| South Korea | East Asia | US$0.54 | US$3.14 | US$0.43 | US$0.42 |
| China | East Asia | US$0.61 | US$3.70 | US$0.59 | US$0.50 |
| Hong Kong | East Asia | US$0.75 | US$4.04 | US$0.45 | US$0.50 |
| Taiwan | East Asia | US$0.84 | US$3.69 | US$0.55 | US$0.54 |
| Macao | East Asia | US$0.86 | US$4.44 | US$0.48 | US$0.55 |
| India | South & Central Asia | US$1.33 | US$8.90 | US$1.08 | US$1.14 |
| Sri Lanka | South & Central Asia | US$0.93 | US$13.16 | US$1.55 | – |
| Maldives | South & Central Asia | US$4.33 | US$46.68 | US$6.97 | US$6.65 |
| Nepal | South & Central Asia | US$1.73 | US$13.10 | US$1.64 | US$1.71 |
| Uzbekistan | South & Central Asia | US$0.63 | US$7.34 | US$1.08 | – |
| Saudi Arabia | Middle East & North Africa | US$1.41 | US$8.37 | US$1.21 | US$1.20 |
| United Arab Emirates | Middle East & North Africa | US$1.56 | US$11.84 | US$1.46 | US$1.54 |
| Qatar | Middle East & North Africa | US$1.06 | US$10.02 | US$1.22 | US$1.30 |
| Turkey | Middle East & North Africa | US$0.57 | US$3.26 | US$0.41 | US$0.42 |
| Egypt | Middle East & North Africa | US$0.90 | US$10.88 | US$0.77 | US$1.54 |
| Jordan | Middle East & North Africa | US$2.03 | US$16.39 | US$2.21 | US$2.15 |
| Oman | Middle East & North Africa | US$1.25 | US$32.05 | US$4.64 | – |
| Morocco | Middle East & North Africa | US$1.21 | US$8.03 | US$0.90 | US$1.03 |
| United Kingdom | Europe | US$0.66 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – |
| France | Europe | US$0.61 | US$6.27 | US$0.51 | – |
| Germany | Europe | US$0.61 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – |
| Italy | Europe | US$0.63 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – |
| Netherlands | Europe | US$0.63 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – |
| Switzerland | Europe | US$0.70 | US$6.52 | US$0.60 | – |
| Spain | Europe | US$0.63 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – |
| Austria | Europe | US$0.63 | US$6.52 | US$0.65 | – |
| Australia | Oceania & North America | US$0.72 | US$4.44 | US$0.50 | US$0.55 |
| New Zealand | Oceania & North America | US$0.78 | US$7.24 | US$1.40 | US$0.92 |
| United States | Oceania & North America | US$0.80 | US$4.28 | US$0.53 | US$0.57 |
| Canada | Oceania & North America | US$1.48 | US$10.80 | US$0.69 | US$1.40 |
What this means for travellers
Southeast and East Asia: budget small
For Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan, a week with 1 GB per day generally costs under US$4.50 — enough for maps, ride-hailing and daily social media.
Umrah and the Middle East: budget more
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan sit between roughly US$8 and US$17 for 7 days. Pilgrims staying 9–12 days should compare daily and fixed-data plans on the Saudi Arabia eSIM page.
Islands and smaller markets: do not assume the average
The Maldives (US$46.68 for 7 days), Oman (US$32.05) and Timor-Leste (US$22.63) are far above the median. For Brunei, the catalogue had no 7-day plan meeting the index criteria on the data date.
Methodology
- Source: the public corelinx.net catalogue (country list and per-country plan list), pulled 3 October 2026. Only active plans priced above zero are counted: 3,622 plans across 40 countries.
- Starting price: the cheapest plan of any kind on the country page (usually a 1-day plan).
- Cheapest 7-day plan: plans lasting 7–8 days with at least 1 GB per day, at least 7 GB in total, or unlimited data.
- Cost per GB: price divided by data allowance, only for fixed-data plans of 1–50 GB lasting up to 30 days. Plans whose allowance has no stated unit are excluded.
- Per day: price divided by days, only for daily plans with a cap of at least 1 GB per day. Speed is reduced once the daily cap is reached.
- Regional median: the median of the country values in that region.
- Limitations: multi-country plans listed on a country page are included. Prices can change at any time and exclude promotions or discount codes. The index measures the Corelinx catalogue, not the whole market.
FAQ
How much does a travel eSIM cost for a one-week trip?
Based on the Corelinx catalogue on 3 October 2026, the median 7-day plan across 40 destinations is US$6.52. Southeast and East Asia are usually cheaper, around US$3–5.
Which country is cheapest for travel data?
Vietnam (US$2.66 for 7 days), followed by Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Turkey — all under US$3.50 for 7 days with 1 GB per day.
How much is a 7-day eSIM for umrah?
A 7-day Saudi Arabia plan with 1 GB per day starts at US$8.37 as of 3 October 2026. For other durations, see all options on the Saudi Arabia plans page.
Is this index updated?
Yes, the plan is to refresh it monthly with the same method so price changes can be compared month to month.
Can I cite this data?
Yes. Please credit "Corelinx Traveller Internet Cost Index, October 2026" with a link to this page.
Check prices for your destination
The prices above are a snapshot from 3 October 2026. For current prices and every data option, open the Corelinx eSIM plans page and pick your destination.
