Short answer: A Saudi Arabia-only eSIM starts at $4.49 for 1 GB, and all 24 plans we list are tagged for 5G and allow hotspot. The same size can cost up to $10 more from one provider than another. For a week of Umrah or a business trip, buy the 10 GB, 30-day plan at $20.99.
| Trip length | Typical use (moderate) | Cheapest Saudi Arabia plan that covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 2–4 GB | 5 GB for 30 days, $12.99 |
| 7 days | 4–7 GB | 10 GB for 30 days, $20.99 |
| 10 days | 6–10 GB | 10 GB for 30 days, $20.99 |
| 14 days | 8–14 GB | 20 GB for 30 days, $33.99 |
| 30 days | 15–25 GB | 50 GB for 30 days, $68.99 |
Prices checked on 6 October 2026. Usage ranges come from our trip data calculator, which also gives light and heavy ranges.
This guide covers what all 24 Saudi Arabia plans cost, why two plans of the same size can differ by $10, when the 13-country MENA pack is the better buy, what the official figures from Hajj 2026 say about networks in Makkah, what a local stc visitor SIM costs, and what we know and do not know about WhatsApp calls. You can compare the current Saudi Arabia eSIM plans or browse the full travel eSIM catalog. Plan details change, so treat the live listing on each product page as the source of truth before you buy.
What do the 24 Saudi Arabia plans cost?
Our catalog lists 43 Saudi Arabia-only items. Nineteen are top-up add-ons for a plan you already hold. The other 24 are plans you buy fresh, from four providers: seven from eSIMGo and six each from NextLink and Sparks, plus five from RoamVault.
| Data | eSIMGo | NextLink | RoamVault | Sparks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days, $5.49 | 7 days, $4.49 | 7 days, $4.99 | 7 days, $5.49 |
| 2 GB | 15 days, $7.99 | 14 days, $8.49 | not listed | 15 days, $7.99 |
| 3 GB | 30 days, $10.99 | 30 days, $10.99 | 15 days, $10.99 | 30 days, $12.99 |
| 5 GB | 30 days, $12.99 | 30 days, $13.99 | 30 days, $16.99 | 30 days, $17.99 |
| 10 GB | 30 days, $20.99 | 30 days, $24.99 | 30 days, $23.99 | 30 days, $30.99 |
| 20 GB | 30 days, $33.99 | 30 days, $43.99 | 30 days, $40.99 | 30 days, $51.99 |
| 50 GB | 30 days, $68.99 | not listed | not listed | not listed |
Prices checked on 6 October 2026. Per gigabyte, the cheapest price at each size falls from $4.49 on 1 GB to $1.38 on 50 GB.
What all 24 plans share:
- Listed for 5G. Every one is tagged 5G/4G/LTE. More on what that means below.
- Hotspot is allowed on every one, so a laptop or a family member’s phone can share the connection.
- Data only. None includes a Saudi phone number, calls or SMS.
- The clock starts on first data use. All 24 are listed as activating when they first connect to data, not when you install them. You can install at home and switch the line on when you land in Jeddah, Madinah or Riyadh.
There is no unlimited Saudi Arabia plan in our catalog. A heavy user buys 20 GB or 50 GB.
Why do two plans of the same size differ by $10?
Because four providers sell the same sizes at their own prices. At 10 GB for 30 days the range runs from $20.99 to $30.99. At 20 GB it runs from $33.99 to $51.99, a gap of $18 for the same data and the same validity.
eSIMGo has the lowest price at 5, 10 and 20 GB and NextLink at 1 GB. At 2 GB and 3 GB two or three providers tie. Before you pay, check three things:
- Top-ups. Nineteen of the 24 plans can be topped up. The five RoamVault plans cannot. If you run out on one of those, you buy a new eSIM.
- Validity at 3 GB. Three providers charge $10.99 for 3 GB. Two of those plans last 30 days and one lasts 15. Validity is a ceiling, so on a three-week trip the 15-day plan stops working on day 15 with data unused. Our guide to when travel eSIM validity starts explains how the days are counted.
- The step from 3 GB to 5 GB. The cheapest 5 GB plan costs $12.99, which is $2 more than 3 GB. Unless you are sure the trip is light, 5 GB is the better small plan.
Is the MENA pack cheaper than a Saudi Arabia plan?
Not for a trip that stays in Saudi Arabia. It becomes the better buy when the trip includes a second country.
We list 27 multi-country plans that include Saudi Arabia. Twenty cover more than 50 countries each. Six are sizes of one 13-country MENA pack, and one is a two-country plan for Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The MENA pack covers Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and the UAE.
| Data | Saudi Arabia only (cheapest) | MENA pack, 13 countries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days, $4.49 | 7 days, $5.49 |
| 2 GB | 15 days, $7.99 | 15 days, $8.49 |
| 3 GB | 30 days, $10.99 | 30 days, $10.99 |
| 5 GB | 30 days, $12.99 | 30 days, $14.99 |
| 10 GB | 30 days, $20.99 | 30 days, $26.99 |
| 20 GB | 30 days, $33.99 | 30 days, $46.99 |
The pack costs the same at 3 GB and more at every other size, and the gap widens as the plan grows: $6 at 10 GB and $13 at 20 GB. The global packs are dearer again. The cheapest 10 GB, 30-day plan covering more than 50 countries costs $44.99.
The sums change when the route has two stops. Umrah flights often connect through Dubai, Istanbul, Cairo or Amman, and business trips often pair Riyadh with Dubai, Doha or Manama. Buying two country plans costs more than one pack: the cheapest 10 GB plans for Saudi Arabia and for the UAE cost $20.99 and $24.99, or $45.98 together, against $26.99 for 10 GB on the MENA pack used across both.
Two things to know about the MENA pack. All six sizes allow hotspot and can be topped up. None of them is tagged for 5G in our listings, so if 5G matters to you, the Saudi-only plans are the ones that list it. We list no plan that covers Yemen.
The two-country plan, sold as “Saudi and UAE 3 GB 90 days” at $12.99, is a special case: it is listed as activating when the eSIM is installed, not on first data use. Install it the day before you fly, not weeks ahead. It suits someone making several short visits in a quarter.
How much data do pilgrims use during Hajj and Umrah?
For Hajj, the regulator has published a number. Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) reported on 29 May 2026 that average daily data consumption per person during the 2026 Hajj season reached 1,394 MB, which it described as more than twice the global figure.
That is close to 1.4 GB a day. Over the five or six days of the Hajj rites, that rate adds up to between 7 GB and 8.4 GB. It is an average across everyone on the networks, so it includes people who streamed and called home on video every day and people who barely used their phones. Most Hajj trips also last longer than the rites themselves, with days in Madinah before or after.
Put together, a two-week Hajj trip at that pace sits at the top of the moderate range in the table above, or beyond it. The 20 GB, 30-day plan at $33.99 is the safer choice, and it can be topped up if you buy the eSIMGo, NextLink or Sparks version.
For Umrah outside the Hajj season there is no official per-person figure that we could find, so we use the same ranges as any other trip. A week of maps, messaging, the Nusuk app and some video calls fits within 10 GB.
Will the network hold up in Makkah during Hajj?
The official figures say capacity was built for it. According to the General Authority for Statistics, 1,707,301 pilgrims performed Hajj in 2026, of whom 1,546,655 came from abroad. Nearly all of them are at Mina and Arafat on the same days.
Before the season, on 20 May 2026, CST said that more than 5,200 telecom towers had been deployed across Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites, with 100% 4G and 5G coverage in the Holy Sites. It gave mobile internet speeds of 307 Mbps in Makkah and 364 Mbps in Madinah. After the season it reported an average mobile internet speed of 351 Mbps, up 18% on the year before, and more than 202.6 million local and international calls across Makkah and the Holy Sites.
Those are averages published by the regulator. They do not tell you what one phone gets inside a tent in Mina at the busiest hour, and we have no measurements of our own from the Holy Sites. A travel eSIM connects through a local partner network and uses the same towers as everyone else, so it will be as fast or as slow as the cell you are standing in.
Two practical points for the crowded days:
- Save what you need offline. Download your permits, hotel address, group contact numbers and a map of Makkah before the days at Mina and Arafat.
- Agree a meeting point with your group that does not depend on a phone.
Hajj 2027 is expected in mid-May 2027. Published calendar estimates put the Day of Arafah around 15 May, and the exact dates are confirmed by moon sighting closer to the time.
Do you need mobile data for the Nusuk app?
In practice, yes. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah lists the Umrah permit and the permit to pray in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah in the Prophet’s Mosque as services issued through the Nusuk app and website. Both pages, last updated on 20 September 2026, list visitors among the people who can use the service and give the cost as free.
You choose a date and a time slot in the app, and slots can change, so you will want a working connection from the day you arrive and not only hotel Wi-Fi. This is the main reason to install the eSIM before you fly: the line is ready when the plane lands, and you can open the app in the arrivals hall.
eSIM or an stc visitor SIM at the airport?
On price per gigabyte, the local SIM wins by a wide margin.
stc, one of Saudi Arabia’s three network operators, sells a prepaid line for visitors called Sawa Visitor. Its own page listed these packages on 6 October 2026, with prices that include 15% VAT:
| stc package | Data | Calls | Validity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor 26 | 6 GB | 1 hour | 2 weeks | SAR 31 |
| Visitor 47 | 21 GB | 2 hours | 2 weeks | SAR 55 |
| Visitor 65 | 33 GB | 3 hours | 3 weeks | SAR 75 |
| Visitor 86 | 51 GB | 5 hours | 4 weeks | SAR 100 |
The riyal is pegged at 3.75 to the US dollar, so SAR 55 is about $14.67 for 21 GB and two hours of local and international calls. Our cheapest 20 GB plan costs $33.99 and has no calls. The page says the offers run until 27 December 2026.
The cost is time on arrival. The same stc page says you must visit a branch upon arrival to activate the number. After a long flight with a group, that is one more stop at an stc counter or shop before anything works.
So the choice is the usual one. If the lowest price and a Saudi number matter most, buy the local SIM. If you want a connection as the plane door opens, with nothing to activate, a travel eSIM does that, and the price difference pays for the convenience.
If you are coming from the United States, the third option is a carrier day pass. Verizon’s TravelPass page listed Saudi Arabia at $12 per day in October 2026, charged on the days you use the phone abroad. Ten days on the pass come to $120, against $20.99 for our 10 GB plan for the whole stay. A day pass keeps your own number working for calls and texts, which a data-only eSIM does not.
Do WhatsApp calls work in Saudi Arabia?
We cannot give a firm yes. WhatsApp messages work. Voice and video calls on WhatsApp have a long history of being blocked in Saudi Arabia, and the current position has not been confirmed officially.
What is on record: on 2 February 2025, Gulf News reported that many users in the country found WhatsApp voice and video calls suddenly working, and noted that authorities had made no announcement about whether the change was permanent. The same report said that in March 2024 the regulator had denied an earlier rumour that the block was lifted. We could not find an official statement since then.
Our plans add one more variable. All 24 Saudi Arabia plans list an internet exit point outside the country: the United Kingdom or Ireland on the eSIMGo and Sparks plans, Western Europe on the NextLink plans and Belgium on the RoamVault plans. Websites and apps may therefore see a European address. We have not tested WhatsApp calling on these plans inside Saudi Arabia, so we do not promise that it works.
If calls home matter, set up a second app before you travel and agree it with your family, and treat any calling app as something to test on your first evening. Our guide to travel eSIM IP addresses and country egress explains what the exit point changes, including the extra delay when traffic travels to Europe and back.
Do Saudi Arabia eSIM plans include 5G?
All 24 are tagged 5G/4G/LTE. The tag means the plan is allowed onto 5G where the partner network has it and your phone supports it. It is not a promise of 5G at any particular place. Our guide to which travel eSIMs give you 5G explains how to read it.
Our listings do not name the local operator a plan connects to, so we do not state one here.
What happens after you pay?
The eSIM arrives by email as a QR code. We measure the time from payment to the delivery email being accepted by the recipient’s mail server: across the 9 orders where we hold delivery records, the median is 11 seconds and the slowest was 13 seconds. From payment to order completion, the median across 16 orders is 7 seconds, and the slowest order we have handled took 14 minutes. These are small samples, so treat them as a record of what has happened so far, not a guarantee.
If no QR code arrives within an hour of payment, a refund is started automatically. You do not have to ask for it. Card refunds then take the usual few working days to reach your account.
None of the Saudi Arabia plans comes with a phone number, so keep your home SIM active in the second slot for bank and email codes, with its data roaming switched off. Our guide to data-only eSIMs and one-time passcodes covers that setup.
FAQ
What is the cheapest eSIM for Saudi Arabia?
The 1 GB, 7-day plan at $4.49 is the cheapest Saudi Arabia plan we list. For a week of normal use, the 10 GB, 30-day plan costs $20.99. The 13-country MENA pack costs the same at 3 GB and more at every other size.
Which eSIM should I buy for Umrah?
The 10 GB, 30-day Saudi Arabia plan costs $20.99 and suits a stay of a week to ten days with maps, messaging and the Nusuk app. If the trip includes a stopover in Dubai, Istanbul, Cairo or Amman, the 10 GB MENA pack at $26.99 covers both countries on one eSIM.
Can I use a Saudi Arabia eSIM as a hotspot?
Yes. All 24 Saudi Arabia plans allow hotspot use, and so do all 27 multi-country plans that include Saudi Arabia. Sharing with a laptop uses data quickly, so choose a larger plan.
Can I top up a Saudi Arabia eSIM?
On 19 of the 24 plans, yes. The five RoamVault plans cannot be topped up, so check the plan page if you expect to need more data during the trip.
Does a Saudi Arabia eSIM work in the UAE or Qatar?
No. A Saudi Arabia-only plan stops at the border. The MENA pack covers the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey along with Saudi Arabia.
Conclusion: 10 GB for a week, 20 GB for Hajj, the MENA pack for two countries
For a trip that stays in Saudi Arabia, buy 5 GB at $12.99 for a few days, 10 GB at $20.99 for a week to ten days and 20 GB at $33.99 for two weeks or for Hajj. Check the provider before you pay, because the same size can cost $10 or more extra. If the route adds the UAE, Turkey, Egypt or Jordan, the MENA pack is cheaper than two separate plans. And if a Saudi number and the lowest price matter more than landing connected, the stc visitor SIM is the cheaper buy.
Before you buy, confirm
- Your phone is eSIM-capable and not carrier-locked.
- You installed the eSIM before you fly, so you land connected.
- The plan’s validity covers your whole stay, counted from first data use.
- The plan can be topped up, if you might need more data.
- Your route stays inside Saudi Arabia, or you chose the MENA pack for the stopover.
Soft next step
Affordable travel eSIM, refund if no code in 1 hour. Compare the current Saudi Arabia eSIM plans side by side, or see every plan that covers Saudi Arabia, packs included, in the catalog at 10 GB for 30 days. Plan details change, so treat the live listing on each product page as the source of truth before you buy.