Data Roaming
Mobile Data Abroad: How to Plan Your Internet Access for a Trip
How much data will you actually need abroad, and what's the best way to get it? A practical, four-step planning guide for any trip.
4 min read
Free tool
How Much Mobile Data Do You Need?
Set roughly how long you'll use each app per day, and see your estimated daily and trip data use, plus the plan size to look for.
Navigation and searching places · ~5–10 MB/hour
1.5 h/day~10 MBText messages and photos · ~1–5 MB/hour
2 h/day~10 MBWhatsApp, FaceTime or similar · ~300–600 MB/hour
0 h/day—Scrolling feeds and stories · ~100–300 MB/hour
0.5 h/day~100 MBWatching short videos · ~500 MB–1 GB/hour
0 h/day—Watching videos (SD to HD) · ~500 MB–2 GB/hour
0 h/day—Streaming music · ~40–150 MB/hour
1 h/day~100 MBReading and sending, few attachments · ~5–20 MB/hour
0.5 h/day~10 MBNews, booking sites, searches · ~40–120 MB/hour
1 h/day~80 MB
Your estimate
Estimated daily usage
~300 MB/day
Range: 140 MB to 460 MB
~2.04 GB
7 days at your estimated daily usage
Look for a plan with at least 3 GB, which leaves a buffer for days you use more.
All figures are estimates. Real use depends on the app, video and audio quality, settings and how you use it.
Typical data use by app
Estimates per hour of use. Your real use depends on settings, quality and how you use each app.
| App | What it covers | Per hour (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Navigation and searching places | ~5–10 MB |
| Text messages and photos | ~1–5 MB | |
| Video calls | WhatsApp, FaceTime or similar | ~300–600 MB |
| Scrolling feeds and stories | ~100–300 MB | |
| TikTok | Watching short videos | ~500 MB–1 GB |
| YouTube | Watching videos (SD to HD) | ~500 MB–2 GB |
| Spotify | Streaming music | ~40–150 MB |
| Reading and sending, few attachments | ~5–20 MB | |
| Web browsing | News, booking sites, searches | ~40–120 MB |
Ways to use less data
- Download offline maps before you arrive, and keep navigation running on them.
- Set photo and video backups to Wi-Fi only.
- Lower video quality in streaming and social apps, or save video for Wi-Fi.
- Download playlists, podcasts and shows before you travel.
- Turn off automatic app updates on mobile data.
Questions about data use
How much data do I need for a week abroad?
It depends on how you use your phone. At around 750MB a day, a week comes to about 5GB. Maps, messaging and browsing use little; video, video calls and heavy social media use much more. Use the calculator above for your own estimate.
Which apps use the most mobile data?
Video uses the most: YouTube, TikTok, streaming services and video calls can each use hundreds of megabytes an hour or more. Maps, messaging and email use very little by comparison.
How can I check how much data I use?
Your phone shows it. On iPhone, go to Settings → Mobile Service (or Cellular) and scroll to the list of apps. On Android, look under Settings → Network & internet or Connections → Data usage.
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