Our own measurement
The Travel Data Price Index
A traveller pays 10.6 times more for the same 5GB of mobile data in Samoa than in Poland. We measured our own catalogue across 159 countries, holding the plan constant at 5GB for 30 days. The median is $18.9; the range runs from $9.9 to $104.9.
Updated
Countries
159
Median
$18.9
Range
$9.9 – $104.9
Spread
10.6x
By region
The strongest finding is not the single outlier, it is the region. African countries cost more than double the European median.
| Region | Countries | Median | Cheapest | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 45 | $12.9 | $9.9 | $99.9 |
| Asia | 28 | $14.9 | $9.9 | $59.9 |
| Oceania | 4 | $16.9 | $14.9 | $104.9 |
| Middle East | 10 | $18.9 | $13.9 | $26.9 |
| Americas | 33 | $26.9 | $13.9 | $64.9 |
| Africa | 39 | $34.9 | $14.9 | $79.9 |
Why the gap is so wide
The intuitive assumption is that data prices track the cost of living. This dataset kills that immediately: Switzerland and Singapore sit at $9.9, level with Poland and Thailand.
What actually drives the price is competition between network operators. Where four operators fight over the same subscribers, wholesale rates are low. Where there is a single state-adjacent operator, nothing pushes them down. That is how Monaco at $99.9 ends up beside Gambia, two countries with nothing economically in common.
The second factor is backhaul. Island states without a submarine cable depend on satellite capacity, which is orders of magnitude dearer than fibre. That accounts for essentially the entire top of the table.
The full table
All 159 countries, cheapest first. Equal prices share a rank.
Method and limits
We took the cheapest plan in each country at exactly 5GB and 30 days validity, read straight from the sales catalogue. Countries that do not stock that tier are excluded, which is why the count is 159 rather than 197.
These are our retail prices in US dollars. This is not a market survey and not an average across providers, and the figures move with the catalogue. Anyone quoting a number should cite the date it was read.
FAQ
Why 5GB over 30 days specifically?
Comparing countries needs one variable held constant. 5GB over 30 days is the most widely stocked shape in the catalogue, so it yields the largest comparable set at 159 countries. Mixing tiers would make the spread meaningless, and the spread is the finding.
Are these market prices or your prices?
Our retail prices for our own plans. It is not a market survey. We publish it because a catalogue spanning 197 countries is rarely comparable in public at all, but presenting it as anything broader would be dishonest.
Why is the Pacific so expensive?
Small island markets often have a single operator, no wholesale competition, and satellite backhaul instead of fibre. The price reflects genuine cost, not a markup decision.
How often is this updated?
The page computes from the live catalogue rather than a maintained spreadsheet, so price changes appear without anyone editing anything.
Per-country pricing lives on the destination pages. The cheapest countries in the index: Poland, Romania, San Marino.