Home / Cost calculator
CalculatorTrip connectivity cost calculator: roaming vs local SIM vs eSIM
Enter your own quotes once and get three itemised receipts for the same trip and the same phones: home roaming, a local SIM and a travel eSIM, with calls on your own number counted.
Put in your carrier's roaming price for the destination, a local SIM quote and a travel eSIM checkout price, plus days, phones and the minutes you will still call on your own number. The lowest whole-trip total wins, but only if it also covers every country, every day and your phone.
Trip connectivity cost calculator
Your quotes in, three receipts outHow does the calculator work?
Each option becomes a receipt for the same trip. Roaming is the day price times billed days (trip days plus extra flight days) times phones, or one pass per phone, or zero if included. Local SIM is the SIM and plan plus top-ups per phone, plus one-off costs. Travel eSIM is the plan plus top-ups per phone, plus the card fee. Calls on your own number are added at your roaming call rate wherever the option does not include them.
- Roaming: 11 billed days x $10 x 2 phones$220.00
- Local SIM: ($25 + $0) x 2 + $10 one-off + calls $20$80.00
- Travel eSIM: $20 x 2 + calls $20$60.00
- Lowest totaltravel eSIM
What does it not know?
- Coverage: each option must cover every country and day of your route.
- Your phone: local SIMs and third-party eSIMs need an unlocked phone; eSIMs need eSIM support.
- Fair use and speed: compare full-speed data, not the word "unlimited".
- Time: a shop visit or queue has a cost the receipt does not show.
For the method in full, read roaming, local SIM or travel eSIM. For a two-option day-pass comparison, use the break-even calculator.
Six steps to a fair comparison
Enter the trip
Days you need data, the number of phones, and any extra billed days for flights.
Price roaming
Look up your carrier's rate for the destination: per day, one pass, or included.
Price a local SIM
The SIM and plan per phone, top-ups, and one-off costs such as transport to a shop.
Price a travel eSIM
The checkout price per phone, likely top-ups and any card fee for a foreign currency.
Add calls on your number
Minutes you will still make or take on your home line, at your carrier's roaming rate.
Compare the receipts
The lowest total is highlighted; check coverage, days and phone compatibility before you buy.
Calculator questions
What does the trip connectivity cost calculator compare?
It prices three ways to stay connected for the same trip and the same number of phones: your home carrier's roaming, a local SIM bought abroad, and a prepaid travel eSIM. Each becomes an itemised receipt, and the lowest total is highlighted.
Where do the starting numbers come from?
They are example numbers chosen to make the arithmetic easy to follow, not prices from any carrier, shop or store. Replace them with your carrier's roaming price, the local SIM price you are quoted and a real eSIM checkout price.
Why does the calculator add calls on my own number?
A data-only travel eSIM and most tourist SIMs do not carry calls to your own number. If you still need calls on your home number, those minutes are billed at your carrier's roaming rate, so the calculator adds them to the local SIM and eSIM receipts, and to roaming unless your roaming price includes calls.
What are extra billed days?
Roaming day passes are usually billed per calendar day of use. Flight days at each end often add a billed day that is not a full day of your trip. The calculator adds them to the day-pass receipt only.
Is anything I type stored or sent?
No. The calculation runs in your browser. The share link puts your numbers into the address after a # sign, which browsers do not send to the server.