10 Most Expensive Countries for Mobile Data with eSIM (2026)

Which countries have the most expensive eSIM data plans?

The most expensive countries for mobile data are places where competition is thin. Liberia, Mauritania, and Togo top the ranking, with small plans costing over $15 per GB at the time of writing. Countries at war like Sudan and Yemen, remote island nations, and monopoly markets fill the rest of the list. The pattern is almost always the same: one or two operators, difficult geography, and few travelers, so nobody has a reason to lower prices. Every price in the chart below comes from live data on real plans sold by real providers, drawn from the Vefru database of more than 23,000 eSIM plans. The ranking updates automatically as prices change. This article is the mirror image of our ranking of the cheapest countries for eSIM data. If any of these destinations is on your itinerary, you can see every available plan for it in the eSIM comparison tool at vefru.com before you book anything.

1. Liberia

Liberia is a market of two. Lonestar Cell MTN and Orange Liberia are the only mobile operators in the country, and according to the US government's country commercial guide, they face some of the toughest operating conditions anywhere: expensive electricity, poor roads, and heavy import taxation. The national regulator added to the bill by introducing price floors in 2019 and later a surcharge on every megabyte of data, which pushed retail prices up sharply. All of those costs flow into the wholesale rates that international eSIM providers pay, and from there into the price you see. The practical advice is to buy small. Monrovia has usable 4G, but coverage thins out quickly beyond the coastal cities, so a large plan often cannot be fully used anyway. A small plan plus hotel Wi-Fi covers maps, messaging, and bookings. Our guide on what 2 GB of data is enough for helps you judge whether that fits your trip.

2. Mauritania

Mauritania has three operators, Moov Mauritel, Mattel, and Chinguitel, but three logos do not equal real competition. The country is mostly Sahara desert, and the networks concentrate on Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, and the main roads between them. 4G licences were only awarded in late 2020, years after most of Africa, and the telecom regulator has fined all three operators more than once for poor quality of service. Building and powering towers across such empty distances is expensive, and few travelers visit, so there is little pressure on eSIM data prices. If your route includes the Adrar region or the iron ore train, expect long stretches with no signal at all. Moov Mauritel has the widest coverage of the three networks, so check which network a plan connects to before you buy. An eSIM that can use more than one local network improves your odds of staying online; our guide on eSIMs with multiple networks explains how that works.

3. Togo

Togo is the odd one out on this list, because the networks are genuinely good. They are simply expensive for visitors. Only two operators serve the country. Yas Togo, formerly Togocom, launched the first commercial 5G network in West Africa, and Moov Africa Togo belongs to the Maroc Telecom group. In the 2025 results published by the regulator ARCEP, based on nPerf measurements, the two ranked first and second for mobile internet quality across the whole WAEMU zone (the West African Economic and Monetary Union). A high-quality duopoly has little reason to sell cheap wholesale access to international eSIM providers, and that shows in the price per GB. Coverage is solid in Lomé, Kpalimé, and Kara, and weaker in the rural north. Keep your plan small, enjoy the fast connection in the cities, and save heavy downloads for Wi-Fi.

4. Sudan

Sudan is on this list for the saddest reason: civil war. Since fighting broke out in April 2023, all three networks, Zain Sudan, Sudani, and MTN Sudan, have suffered repeated nationwide shutdowns. Fibre lines and towers have been destroyed by both warring sides, and in July 2025 the authorities suspended WhatsApp voice and video calls across the country. Sudan recorded at least four major shutdowns in 2025 alone, which makes it one of the most disrupted digital environments in Africa. Prices are high because supply barely exists, and the few providers that still sell Sudan plans price in enormous risk. Be aware that most governments currently advise against all travel to Sudan. If you must be there for family or humanitarian reasons, treat any connection as fragile: carry more than one option, keep important documents offline, and never rely on a single network.

5. Yemen

Yemen appears in both of our expensive rankings, for small plans and for bigger ones further down this page. Years of conflict caused an estimated 4.1 billion dollars of damage to telecom infrastructure between 2015 and 2019 alone, and the country's institutions are split between administrations in Sana'a and Aden. MTN left the market in 2021, and its former network now operates under the name YOU, alongside Yemen Mobile and Sabafon. Rebuilding towers in a war economy is slow and costly, and international eSIM providers have very few wholesale partners to choose from, so prices stay high at every plan size. As with Sudan, most foreign ministries advise against travel to Yemen. Whatever plan you buy, understand that coverage and reliability can change from one week to the next.

6. Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the most surprising entry, because local mobile data in Ethiopia is now among the cheapest in Africa. Safaricom Ethiopia broke Ethio Telecom's decades-long monopoly in 2022, and the World Bank's 2025 market assessment credits that entry with sharply lower data prices and roughly double the 4G coverage. So why are travel eSIMs for Ethiopia so expensive? Because the market opened only recently and the state incumbent still serves more than 90 percent of subscribers. International eSIM providers depend on wholesale roaming agreements, and in Ethiopia those remain scarce and costly. The honest advice: if you stay longer than a few days, a local SIM card bought in Addis Ababa costs a fraction of any travel eSIM. Use a small travel eSIM to land connected, order a taxi, and find your hotel, then switch to a local plan for the rest of the trip.

7. Maldives

The Maldives stretches across roughly 1,190 islands, and that geography is the whole story. Two operators, Dhiraagu and Ooredoo Maldives, have to connect inhabited islands and resorts with undersea cables, microwave links, and island-by-island equipment, all for a population of around half a million. Add well over a million visitors a year who will pay almost anything to post from paradise, and you get some of the highest prices per GB in the world. The good news is that nearly every resort includes Wi-Fi, so your eSIM only needs to cover the airport, boat transfers, and excursions. A small plan is usually enough. If you are unsure how much to buy, our guide on how much data you need will help. When you are ready, you can compare every Maldives plan side by side in the vefru.com comparison tool.

8. Belize

Belize proves that you do not need a war or a desert to get expensive data. Around 400,000 people live there, one of the smallest markets in the Americas, and just two operators share it: Digi, run by the majority state-owned Belize Telemedia, and Smart. A tiny customer base means every tower, cable, and licence is paid for by very few subscribers, and dense jungle plus offshore cayes make the infrastructure harder still. Belize appears in both of our expensive rankings on this page, so prices stay high whether you buy 3 GB or 20 GB. Coverage on the main tourist routes, from San Ignacio to Caye Caulker, is decent on 4G. Belize is usually one stop on a longer Central America itinerary, so check whether a regional plan that also covers Mexico and Guatemala works out cheaper than a Belize-only plan before you buy.

9. Guinea

Guinea's problem is concentration. Orange Guinea holds roughly 70 percent of the market, and the pressure on it keeps shrinking. MTN Group exited the country in December 2024 after disputes with the regulator over licence fees, selling its local unit to the Guinean state for a token sum. When one operator dominates and the main alternative is being restructured, wholesale prices for international eSIM providers stay high. Coverage is reasonable in Conakry but drops off quickly in the interior, including the Fouta Djallon highlands that draw most visitors. Buy a small plan, download offline maps before you leave the capital, and treat mobile data as a scarce resource on this trip.

10. Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is one of the smallest telecom markets in the world. It has about two million people, almost no fixed-line network, and it has long lacked a working undersea cable link of its own, routing international traffic through neighboring Senegal instead. One number shows how difficult the market is: MTN sold its entire Guinea-Bissau operation to Telecel Group in 2024 for one US dollar, with the buyer taking over the company's liabilities. That leaves two networks, Orange Bissau and the former MTN unit under Telecel, and only a handful of international eSIM providers cover the country at all. Where there are few providers, there is no price pressure. If the Bijagós islands are on your list, arrange your plan before departure, because your options on the ground will be limited.

Most Expensive Countries for Bigger Plans (10–20 GB)

The ranking changes when you shop for bigger plans. Some countries fall away as more providers compete at higher GB tiers, and new names appear.

Namibia leads this list at 14 dollars per GB at the time of writing. It is one of the least densely populated countries on Earth, so every tower serves very few people. Djibouti is a special case: many of the world's submarine internet cables land there, yet the state-owned Djibouti Telecom holds a monopoly, so retail prices stay high anyway. Cuba's ETECSA is a state monopoly too, with US sanctions complicating everything further. New Caledonia has a single public operator, and the Solomon Islands are an archipelago of hundreds of scattered islands where two small operators split a market of under a million people. The pattern repeats: one provider, or impossible geography, and no reason for prices to fall. Yemen, Belize, and Togo appear in both rankings, which tells you their high eSIM prices are structural and do not improve when you buy more data.

How to Pay Less for Mobile Data in Expensive Countries

You cannot change a country's telecom market, but you can change how much of it you need. These habits make the biggest difference:

• Buy the smallest plan that covers the essentials. Maps, messaging, and bookings fit into 2 to 3 GB for most trips. In these countries, oversizing your plan is the most expensive mistake you can make.
• Prepare offline before you go. Download maps, translations, and entertainment on Wi-Fi, and turn off background app updates. Our tips for saving data while traveling cover the full checklist.
• Check regional plans. A multi-country plan covering your whole route sometimes beats a single-country plan for one expensive destination, especially in Central America and Africa.
• For longer stays, consider a local SIM card. In Ethiopia, for example, local data costs a fraction of any travel eSIM. A travel eSIM for arrival day plus a local SIM for the rest is often the cheapest combination.
• Pick the plan on the strongest network, not the cheapest one. In half of these countries, coverage matters more than price, because a cheap plan with no signal is worth nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is mobile data so expensive in some countries?

Because there is little or no competition. A monopoly or duopoly can set high wholesale prices, and conflict, isolated geography, small populations, and expensive electricity raise the cost of running a network. International eSIM providers buy access at those wholesale rates, so every one of these costs ends up in the price you pay.

Is a local SIM card cheaper than a travel eSIM in these countries?

Often yes, and in Ethiopia dramatically so. The trade-off is effort: you need a store, a passport for registration, and time, and some local operators do not offer eSIM at all. For a short trip, a travel eSIM that works on arrival usually wins. For stays of a week or more, a local SIM can save real money.

Do travel eSIMs work in Sudan or Yemen?

Plans exist, but every eSIM ultimately connects to the local networks, and those suffer war damage and repeated shutdowns. No provider can guarantee coverage there, and most governments advise against travel to both countries. Anyone who must go should carry backup communication options and expect outages at any time.

How much data should I buy for an expensive destination?

Less than you would normally buy. With offline maps, downloaded content, and Wi-Fi at your accommodation, 2 to 3 GB covers a one to two week trip of navigation, messaging, and bookings for most people. Start small; topping up later is usually possible, while unused data in an oversized plan is money lost.

Can a regional eSIM plan make these countries cheaper?

Sometimes. A regional plan that bundles Belize with Mexico and Guatemala, for example, can bring the effective price per GB down for your whole route. Not every expensive country appears in regional bundles, though, so compare both options for your exact itinerary before you decide.

What next?

The most expensive countries for mobile data share one of three stories. Tiny duopoly markets like Liberia, Belize, and Guinea-Bissau have too few customers to fund cheap networks. Conflict has broken supply in Sudan and Yemen. And monopoly or near-monopoly markets like Djibouti, Cuba, and Ethiopia show what happens when nobody has to compete, although Ethiopia also shows how quickly prices fall once real competition arrives. You cannot fix any of that, but you can prepare: buy small, download ahead, and compare every plan for your destination at vefru.com, where the multi-country search also checks whether a regional plan covers your whole route. And if you are new to eSIM technology, our guide on everything you need to know about eSIM explains how it works and which devices support it.