How much mobile data do I need for a trip to the Philippines?
Most travellers use 500MB–1GB per day for maps, messaging, ride-hailing, and social media — so about 5GB for a week and 20GB for a month. Add roughly 1–1.5GB per hour if you plan to make video calls, and 1–3GB per hour for streaming video.
Checked 26 Jul 2026·4 plans cited·3 verified from provider·1 third-party·How we check this
Rough daily budgets
- Light — maps, messaging, occasional browsing: 300–500MB per day.
- Typical tourist — the above plus social media, photo uploads, ride-hailing: 500MB–1GB per day.
- Heavy — video calls, streaming, tethering a laptop: 2–4GB per day.
What actually consumes data here
Offline maps are the single biggest saving available: downloading your destination before you travel removes most navigation data use. Uploading photos and video to cloud backup is the most common cause of unexpected overspend — turn off automatic upload over mobile data, or restrict it to WiFi.
WiFi is widely available in hotels, malls, and cafés in Philippine cities, which reduces mobile usage considerably for most itineraries. It is much less dependable in provincial and island destinations, so weight your estimate toward the higher end if you are heading off the main routes.
| Provider | Plan | Price | Data / speed | Term | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Alpas Mobile 3GB / 7 days | $8 (≈₱494) | 3GB | 7 days · Smart network | ReportedeSIMDB (Airalo listing)26 Jul 2026 |
| DITO | New Level-Up 99 | ₱99 | 9GB | 15 days | VerifiedDITO26 Jul 2026 |
| DITO | Level-Up 299 | ₱299 | 32GB | 30 days | VerifiedDITO26 Jul 2026 |
| DITO | Level-Up 999 | ₱999 | 130GB | 30 days | VerifiedDITO26 Jul 2026 |
Answer last reviewed 26 Jul 2026. How we check our data.