The countries with the cheapest mobile data have been named based on the cost per gigabyte. We share the findings below
Israel has the cheapest mobile data in the world, with one gigabyte (1GB) of data costing an average of just $0.02 USD.
Internet comparison site Cable has collected and analysed data from 5,603 mobile data plans across 237 countries and territories to identify the countries with the cheapest mobile data in the world.
The data was gathered between June to September 2023 and the average cost of one gigabyte (1GB) was calculated and compared to form an authoritative ranking.
If you’re one of the millions of people working remotely around the world or pursuing a career as a digital nomad, then internet speed and the cost of connecting are likely to be some of the most important factors in your choice of destination.
Recent years have seen an increase in mobile data costs with the least developed countries seeing the largest increase in cost. However, the latest data seems to suggest the trend is now reversing.
“It’s encouraging to see the price of data coming down across the globe as a whole with the vast majority of countries offering 1GB of mobile data for less than USD 2.00,” says consumer telecoms analyst, Dan Howdle. “It’s a very different picture from the one we saw in 2019.”
10 cheapest countries for mobile data
- Israel, $0.02
- Italy, $0.09
- Fiji, $0.09
- San Marino, $0.10
- Pakistan, $0.12
- Cambodia, $0.12
- India, $0.16
- Kyrgyzstan, $0.17
- Colombia, $0.20
- France, $0.20
“The latest mobile data pricing tracking study is as much a measure of the quantity of data offered as it is the price of data more broadly. After all, those countries with the most improved (cheaper) pricing across the five years our tracker now covers tend to be those offering tens or even hundreds of times more data in 2023 as was available for similar money in 2019.”
– Dan Howdle, Cable.co.uk
10 most expensive countries for mobile data
- Zimbabwe, $43.75
- South Sudan, $23.70
- Yemen, $15.68
- Turkmenistan, $11.42
- Central African Republic, $10.90
- Zambia, $8.01
- Switzerland, $7.29
- Micronesia, $7.11
- Solomon Islands, $6.96
- Marshall Islands, $6.08
Key headlines
- The global average is $2.59. for 1GB of data.
- Israel has the cheapest mobile data with the cheapest price of $0.02 for 1GB.
- Zimbabwe is the most expensive sovereign state with an average cost of $43.75 for 1GB of data – more than 2,000 times more expensive than chart-topper Israel.
- The cheapest country in Europe is Italy, in third place overall, with an average cost of $0.09, followed by San Marino ($0.10) and France ($0.20) in fourth and 10th place respectively.
- Pakistan, with an average of $0.12, in fifth overall, is the cheapest country for mobile data in Asia.
- Haiti, with an average of $0.22 in 11th place overall, is the cheapest country for mobile data in North America.
- Colombia, with an average of $0.20, in ninth overall, is the cheapest country for mobile data in South America.
- Malawi, with an average of $0.38 in 28th overall, is the cheapest country for mobile data in Africa.
- Fiji, with an average of $0.09, in second overall, is the cheapest country for mobile data in Oceania.
- Four of the ten most expensive countries to buy mobile data are in Africa.
- Island nations in Oceania also tend to be among the most expensive in the world.
- The UK is ranked 53rd with an average cost of $0.62 per 1GB of data.
- The USA is among the most expensive developed nations, ranked 189th with an average cost of $6.00 for 1GB.
- Portugal, which was recently named the best country for remote workers, is ranked 134th with an average cost of $1.79 for 1GB of data.
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CHEAPEST COUNTRIES FOR MOBILE DATA – Complete ranking
The table below ranks countries by the average price of 1GB of data in USD. The research looked at SIM-only deals and included a range of packages from all providers in each country or territory.
Note: some countries and territories have been excluded due to insufficient or inaccurate data.
| Rank | Country | 1GB |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Israel | 0.02 |
| 2 | Fiji | 0.09 |
| 3 | Italy | 0.09 |
| 4 | San Marino | 0.10 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 0.12 |
| 6 | Cambodia | 0.12 |
| 7 | India | 0.16 |
| 8 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.17 |
| 9 | Colombia | 0.20 |
| 10 | France | 0.20 |
| 11 | Haiti | 0.22 |
| 12 | Bangladesh | 0.23 |
| 13 | Russia | 0.25 |
| 14 | Laos | 0.25 |
| 15 | Sri Lanka | 0.25 |
| 16 | Ukraine | 0.27 |
| 17 | Malaysia | 0.28 |
| 18 | Moldova | 0.28 |
| 19 | Uruguay | 0.28 |
| 20 | Indonesia | 0.28 |
| 21 | Vietnam | 0.29 |
| 22 | Uzbekistan | 0.30 |
| 23 | Montenegro | 0.32 |
| 24 | Trinidad & Tobago | 0.32 |
| 25 | Samoa | 0.36 |
| 26 | Poland | 0.37 |
| 27 | Mongolia | 0.38 |
| 28 | Malawi | 0.38 |
| 29 | China | 0.38 |
| 30 | Nigeria | 0.39 |
| 31 | Ghana | 0.40 |
| 32 | Brazil | 0.40 |
| 33 | Kazakhstan | 0.41 |
| 34 | Thailand | 0.41 |
| 35 | Monaco | 0.42 |
| 36 | Nepal | 0.43 |
| 37 | Australia | 0.44 |
| 38 | Turkey | 0.44 |
| 39 | Peru | 0.45 |
| 40 | Spain | 0.48 |
| 41 | Somalia | 0.50 |
| 42 | Austria | 0.51 |
| 43 | DR Congo | 0.52 |
| 44 | Finland | 0.52 |
| 45 | Kuwait | 0.52 |
| 46 | Romania | 0.54 |
| 47 | Rwanda | 0.55 |
| 48 | Nicaragua | 0.55 |
| 49 | Serbia | 0.58 |
| 50 | Western Sahara | 0.58 |
| 51 | Kenya | 0.59 |
| 52 | Philippines | 0.59 |
| 53 | UK | 0.62 |
| 54 | Morocco | 0.63 |
| 55 | Singapore | 0.63 |
| 56 | Chile | 0.64 |
| 57 | Egypt | 0.65 |
| 58 | Belarus | 0.67 |
| 59 | Sierra Leone | 0.67 |
| 60 | Mauritius | 0.67 |
| 61 | Syria | 0.67 |
| 62 | Ethiopia | 0.68 |
| 63 | Congo | 0.68 |
| 64 | Taiwan | 0.69 |
| 65 | Denmark | 0.69 |
| 66 | Jamaica | 0.70 |
| 67 | Bhutan | 0.71 |
| 68 | Algeria | 0.73 |
| 69 | Jordan | 0.76 |
| 70 | Honduras | 0.78 |
| 71 | Mozambique | 0.78 |
| 72 | Dominican Rep | 0.79 |
| 73 | Libya | 0.82 |
| 74 | Hong Kong | 0.82 |
| 75 | Slovenia | 0.84 |
| 76 | Tanzania | 0.84 |
| 77 | Macedonia | 0.86 |
| 78 | Suriname | 0.95 |
| 79 | Armenia | 0.98 |
| 80 | Myanmar | 0.99 |
| 81 | Ecuador | 1.00 |
| 82 | Angola | 1.01 |
| 83 | Afghanistan | 1.02 |
| 84 | Bosnia & Herz | 1.03 |
| 85 | Paraguay | 1.04 |
| 86 | Venezuela | 1.05 |
| 87 | St Vincent & Gren | 1.05 |
| 88 | Iraq | 1.07 |
| 89 | Palestine | 1.08 |
| 90 | Iceland | 1.08 |
| 91 | El Salvador | 1.08 |
| 92 | Burundi | 1.10 |
| 93 | Dominica | 1.11 |
| 94 | Argentina | 1.11 |
| 95 | Uganda | 1.11 |
| 96 | Madagascar | 1.12 |
| 97 | Estonia | 1.15 |
| 98 | Sudan | 1.16 |
| 99 | Guatemala | 1.17 |
| 100 | Côte d’Ivoire | 1.18 |
| 101 | Tonga | 1.19 |
| 102 | Liechtenstein | 1.19 |
| 103 | Croatia | 1.19 |
| 104 | Namibia | 1.20 |
| 105 | Kosovo | 1.25 |
| 106 | Djibouti | 1.26 |
| 107 | Lithuania | 1.26 |
| 108 | Eswatini | 1.26 |
| 109 | Tunisia | 1.28 |
| 110 | Bahrain | 1.31 |
| 111 | Mauritania | 1.32 |
| 112 | Papua New Guinea | 1.36 |
| 113 | Macau | 1.44 |
| 114 | Togo | 1.45 |
| 115 | Saudi Arabia | 1.49 |
| 116 | Iran | 1.50 |
| 117 | Ireland | 1.50 |
| 118 | Guinea | 1.51 |
| 119 | Vanuatu | 1.54 |
| 120 | St Kitts & Nevis | 1.54 |
| 121 | Albania | 1.55 |
| 122 | St Lucia | 1.58 |
| 123 | Equatorial Guinea | 1.59 |
| 124 | The Netherlands | 1.61 |
| 125 | Niger | 1.63 |
| 126 | Cameroon | 1.63 |
| 127 | Senegal | 1.63 |
| 128 | Panama | 1.63 |
| 129 | Tajikistan | 1.65 |
| 130 | Guernsey | 1.69 |
| 131 | Luxembourg | 1.70 |
| 132 | Hungary | 1.71 |
| 133 | Azerbaijan | 1.76 |
| 134 | Portugal | 1.79 |
| 135 | Grenada | 1.81 |
| 136 | South Africa | 1.81 |
| 137 | Costa Rica | 1.86 |
| 138 | Bolivia | 1.87 |
| 139 | Anguilla | 1.88 |
| 140 | Brunei | 1.89 |
| 141 | Lebanon | 1.91 |
| 142 | Georgia | 1.91 |
| 143 | Timor-Leste | 1.92 |
| 144 | Oman | 1.95 |
| 145 | Lesotho | 1.96 |
| 146 | Botswana | 1.99 |
| 147 | Mexico | 2.03 |
| 148 | Germany | 2.14 |
| 149 | Maldives | 2.16 |
| 150 | Comoros | 2.18 |
| 151 | Belgium | 2.23 |
| 152 | Sweden | 2.33 |
| 153 | Guyana | 2.36 |
| 154 | Malta | 2.36 |
| 155 | Benin | 2.37 |
| 156 | Qatar | 2.40 |
| 157 | Cyprus | 2.41 |
| 158 | São Tomé & PrÃn | 2.41 |
| 159 | Liberia | 2.50 |
| 160 | Slovakia | 2.68 |
| 161 | Cuba | 2.71 |
| 162 | Guinea-Bissau | 2.72 |
| 163 | Barbados | 2.75 |
| 164 | Greece | 2.79 |
| 165 | Belize | 2.92 |
| 166 | Nauru | 3.09 |
| 167 | Czech Rep | 3.12 |
| 168 | Niue | 3.14 |
| 169 | Kiribati | 3.19 |
| 170 | Antigua & Barbuda | 3.20 |
| 171 | Latvia | 3.21 |
| 172 | Cape Verde | 3.24 |
| 173 | Burkina Faso | 3.27 |
| 174 | Japan | 3.48 |
| 175 | Gambia | 3.56 |
| 176 | Greenland | 3.58 |
| 177 | New Caledonia | 3.76 |
| 178 | Norway | 4.07 |
| 179 | Chad | 4.09 |
| 180 | Gabon | 4.09 |
| 181 | Mali | 4.56 |
| 182 | UAE | 4.61 |
| 183 | Andorra | 4.82 |
| 184 | Bahamas | 4.99 |
| 185 | South Korea | 5.01 |
| 186 | Canada | 5.37 |
| 187 | Seychelles | 5.43 |
| 188 | New Zealand | 5.89 |
| 189 | USA | 6.00 |
| 190 | Tuvalu | 6.08 |
| 191 | Marshall Islands | 6.08 |
| 192 | Solomon Islands | 6.96 |
| 193 | Micronesia | 7.11 |
| 194 | Switzerland | 7.29 |
| 195 | Zambia | 8.01 |
| 196 | Central African Rep | 10.90 |
| 197 | Turkmenistan | 11.42 |
| 198 | Yemen | 15.68 |
| 199 | South Sudan | 23.70 |
| 200 | Zimbabwe | 43.75 |
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