2026 Edition · Updated weekly · 991 plans tracked

Cheapest eSIM and Prepaid SIM for Every Country

Across 213+ countries and 5 providers. Sorted by cost-per-GB, cheapest on top.

Price Summary:

The cheapest eSIM globally costs $0.29/GB from HelloRoam in Thailand. Southeast Asia dominates the sub-$1/GB bracket. Europe starts at $0.61/GB (Turkey). Airport SIM kiosks charge $25-40 for equivalent data. An eSIM saves 60-75%.

Sorted by $/GB ascending

Top 10 cheapest plans globally

Last sync · 2026-07-06

Top 10 cheapest eSIM plans globally, sorted by $/GB ascending. Prices verified May 2026.
#	Provider	Country	$/GB	Plan	Days	Action
🥇	HelloRoamCheapest	Thailand	$0.29	50GB	7d	Compare Thailand eSIM →
🥈	HelloRoam	Germany	$0.61	50GB	30d	Compare Germany eSIM →
🥉	HelloRoam	France	$0.61	50GB	30d	Compare France eSIM →
4	HelloRoam	Japan	$0.61	50GB	30d	Compare Japan eSIM →
5	HelloRoam	Guadeloupe	$0.64	10GB	30d	Compare Guadeloupe eSIM →
6	HelloRoam	Turkey	$0.65	50GB	30d	Compare Turkey eSIM →
7	HelloRoam	United Kingdom	$0.66	50GB	30d	Compare United Kingdom eSIM →
8	HelloRoam	Italy	$0.68	50GB	30d	Compare Italy eSIM →
9	HelloRoam	Australia	$0.71	50GB	30d	Compare Australia eSIM →
10	HelloRoam	Spain	$0.72	50GB	30d	Compare Spain eSIM →

Provider landscape

Average $/GB across all countries

We track 5 eSIM providers weekly and rank every plan by cost-per-GB. Airalo covers the most destinations. Holafly offers unlimited plans at a premium.

HelloRoam

$1.34

Nomad

$3.20

Airalo

$2.48

Saily

$1.92

Holafly

$5.85

HelloRoam review →Nomad review →Airalo review →Saily review →Holafly review →

8 regions

Browse by region

All regions →

Europe

$0.61/GB

49 countries · from Germany

East Asia

$0.61/GB

11 countries · from Japan

Southeast Asia

$0.29/GB

11 countries · from Thailand

South Asia

$1.25/GB

8 countries · from Pakistan

Americas

$0.64/GB

43 countries · from Guadeloupe

Middle East

$1.26/GB

12 countries · from Israel

Africa

$1.02/GB

46 countries · from Tunisia

Oceania

$0.71/GB

9 countries · from Australia

FAQ

Travel eSIM basics

An eSIM is a digital SIM embedded in your phone. Instead of inserting a physical card, you scan a QR code or tap a link to activate a data plan. Most phones made after 2019 support eSIM.

We pull plan data from 5 major eSIM providers weekly: HelloRoam, Airalo, Holafly, Saily, and Nomad. We normalize all prices to USD and calculate cost-per-GB. The cheapest plan for each country floats to the top.

A provider's pricing depends on its carrier agreements, margins, and target markets. Some providers negotiate lower wholesale rates in specific regions and pass those savings on. Rankings update every week, so the leader can shift as providers adjust their plans.

Yes. An eSIM adds a second line for data only. Your existing phone number, calls, and texts continue working on your primary SIM. You just switch data to the eSIM while traveling.

We re-check all providers every week. Price drops are reflected within 7 days. The "30d" column in each table shows whether the price went down, up, or stayed the same versus last month.

Find the cheapest plan for your destination

213+ countries · 5 providers · prices verified weekly

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Direct Answers

What is the difference between eSIM and SIM card?

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. A physical SIM is a removable plastic card. eSIM activates instantly via QR code without visiting a store. Physical SIM requires a trip to a carrier store or airport kiosk. Both connect to the same mobile networks. Most phones made after 2020 support eSIM.

What are the disadvantages of eSIM?

eSIM disadvantages include limited phone compatibility (pre-2020 devices lack support), inability to physically swap between phones, and some countries requiring IMEI registration within a set period. eSIM plans also cannot be resold or given to others. For travelers, these drawbacks are typically outweighed by instant activation and lower cost.

Can I use eSIM and physical SIM at the same time?

Most modern phones support dual SIM: one physical SIM slot plus one or more eSIM profiles. This lets you keep your home number active on the physical SIM while using an eSIM for local data abroad. iPhone 13+ and Samsung Galaxy S21+ support this configuration. iPhone 14 US models use two eSIM profiles with no physical SIM slot.