Last updated: September 26, 2026
South Korea is the one market we sell into where no provider is cheapest across the board. Travelsim Asia leads at 1 GB ($2.99), 3 GB and 20 GB ($23.99), Nomad takes 5 GB at $10.00 and Ubigi takes 10 GB at $14.00, so the right buy depends on the size you need rather than on the brand.
This page breaks down exactly what each major South Korea eSIM provider charges in September 2026, what you're actually getting for that price, and where the hidden trade-offs are. We sell eSIMs ourselves, so we're not neutral — but where a competitor offers better value, we'll say so plainly.
Quick summary: South Korea eSIM prices 2026
- Cheapest small plan (1 GB): Travelsim Asia — $2.99 / 7 days
- Best-value large plan (20 GB): Travelsim Asia — $23.99 / 30 days, $4 below the next cheapest 20 GB plan
- Cheapest 5 GB: Nomad — $10.00 / 30 days (Travelsim Asia is $11.99 here)
- Cheapest 10 GB: Ubigi — $14.00 / 30 days
- Networks: Travelsim Asia runs on SK Telecom and LG U+, including SK Telecom — Korea's largest network. Holafly uses the same two, Airalo runs SK Telecom only, and Nomad adds KT.
- No app required: Travelsim Asia
- Best unlimited value: Nomad and Ubigi — both $25 / 7 days
Prices verified September 2026. Always check provider websites before purchasing.
How much does a South Korea eSIM cost? (quick answer)
Expect to pay between $2.99 and $23.99 depending on the plan size, and between $7 and $17 in total for a one to two week trip on normal use. Korea runs a little heavier than you would guess, because Google Maps cannot give full turn-by-turn navigation here and Naver Map and KakaoMap both use more data than it would.
Here's the full price range at a glance across all major providers:
| Plan size | Price range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | $2.99–$4.00 | An Incheon layover or a night in Seoul |
| 3 GB | $6.99–$9.00 | A week in Seoul, mostly on café and metro Wi-Fi |
| 5 GB | $10.00–$11.99 | Seoul plus Busan on the KTX, navigating daily |
| 10 GB | $14.00–$19.00 | Two weeks including Jeju, photos and video calls |
| 20 GB | $23.99–$30.00 | A month, or working remotely from Seoul |
| Unlimited (7 days) | $25.00–$29.00 | Constant hotspot use, but read the FUP first |
Price ranges based on major providers: Travelsim Asia, Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi. September 2026.
Airalo South Korea eSIM prices 2026
Airalo is the most widely recognised eSIM marketplace and a common starting point for South Korea travelers. They offer fixed Korea plans across a wide range of sizes, plus unlimited daily packages sold separately.
Airalo South Korea fixed plans
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Price per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 3 days | $4.00 | $4.00 |
| 3 GB | 3 days | $8.00 | $2.67 |
| 3 GB | 7 days | $9.00 | $3.00 |
| 5 GB | 7 days | $10.00 | $2.00 |
| 5 GB | 15 days | $10.50 | $2.10 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $11.00 | $2.20 |
| 10 GB | 7 days | $18.00 | $1.80 |
| 10 GB | 15 days | $18.50 | $1.85 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $19.00 | $1.90 |
| 20 GB | 15 days | $29.00 | $1.45 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $30.00 | $1.50 |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $49.00 | $0.98 |
Networks: SK Telecom, a single-network plan. Strong nationwide coverage including Seoul, Busan, and Jeju. Airalo also sells unlimited daily packages (not listed above). App and account required.
Worth knowing: Airalo's fixed Korea pricing is competitive in the middle of the range but climbs steeply at the top — its 20 GB / 30-day plan is $30.00, $6 more than Travelsim Asia's $23.99 for the same size and validity. Watch the short validity on smaller plans too: the 1 GB plan lasts only 3 days.
Holafly South Korea eSIM prices 2026
Holafly sells one global unlimited product, so its Korea pricing is the same as its Japan or Thailand pricing: about $4 a day on short trips, falling to roughly $2.46 a day over 30 days. What changes by country is what that buys you against the local alternative. In Korea, 30 days of Holafly unlimited is $73.90 against $16.99 for our 10 GB over the same month, so you are paying roughly four times the price to stop counting gigabytes.
| Validity | Price (USD) | Price per day | FUP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | $12.50 | $4.17 | Not disclosed |
| 5 days | $20.50 | $4.10 | Not disclosed |
| 7 days | $27.50 | $3.93 | Not disclosed |
| 10 days | $36.50 | $3.65 | Not disclosed |
| 15 days | $50.50 | $3.37 | Not disclosed |
| 30 days | $73.90 | $2.46 | Not disclosed |
Worth knowing: Holafly is the most expensive South Korea eSIM for short and mid-length trips. A 15-day trip costs $50.50 — versus $16.99 for a 10 GB fixed plan from Travelsim Asia that covers the same period comfortably for most users. The per-day rate drops on longer durations (a 30-day plan works out to about $2.46/day), so Holafly is more competitive with other unlimited plans at 30 days. Holafly also doesn't disclose its FUP threshold for Korea, so you don't know exactly how much high-speed data you get before throttling.
Networks: SK Telecom and LG U+ — the same two networks as Travelsim Asia. Good nationwide coverage. App optional — can manage via customer panel.
Nomad South Korea eSIM prices 2026
Nomad offers competitive fixed plans and some of the best-value unlimited options in the Korea market. It's also the broadest-coverage provider in this comparison: Nomad connects to all three Korean carriers — SK Telecom, LG U+, and KT.
Nomad South Korea fixed plans
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Price per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $4.00 | $4.00 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $8.00 | $2.67 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $10.00 | $2.00 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $18.00 | $1.80 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $28.00 | $1.40 |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $39.00 | $0.78 |
Nomad South Korea unlimited plans
| Validity | Price (USD) | FUP |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | $11.00 | Daily high-speed cap, then reduced speed |
| 5 days | $18.00 | Daily high-speed cap, then reduced speed |
| 7 days | $25.00 | Daily high-speed cap, then reduced speed |
| 10 days | $33.00 | Daily high-speed cap, then reduced speed |
Networks: SK Telecom, LG U+, and KT — all three Korean carriers, the widest carrier set in this comparison. App and account required. Nomad's mid-tier fixed pricing is the strongest in this group: it's the cheapest 5 GB plan at $10.00, and its unlimited tiers are good value at $25 / 7 days.
Saily South Korea eSIM prices 2026
Saily is built by the NordVPN team — clean fixed plans plus unlimited tiers with an honest daily fair-use cap. Korea pricing is quoted natively in USD and sits close to Travelsim Asia and Airalo across the range.
Saily South Korea fixed plans
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Price per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $8.99 | $3.00 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $10.99 | $2.20 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $18.99 | $1.90 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $29.99 | $1.50 |
Networks: Saily doesn't name a specific Korean carrier — it states only that it runs on "South Korea's best networks" (Saily is a NordVPN brand reselling local partners). App and account required. Saily also offers unlimited plans from $18.99 / 5 days with a 5 GB/day fair-use cap before throttling to around 1 Mbps — honest about the cap, but Nomad's unlimited tiers undercut it at most durations.
Ubigi South Korea eSIM prices 2026
Ubigi operates as a full MVNO rather than a reseller. In Korea its standout is mid-size data: its 10 GB plans are the cheapest 10 GB in this comparison.
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Price per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| 3 GB | 7 days | $7.00 | $2.33 |
| 10 GB | 7 days | $12.00 | $1.20 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $14.00 | $1.40 |
| 25 GB | 30 days | $25.00 | $1.00 |
Networks: Ubigi lists SK Telecom and LG U+. App and account required. Its 10 GB plans are the best-value 10 GB in this comparison — $12.00 for 7 days or $14.00 for 30 days — and its 25 GB / 30-day plan at $25.00 ($1.00/GB) is strong for heavy users. Ubigi also offers unlimited plans from $25 / 7 days.
Travelsim Asia South Korea eSIM prices 2026
This is our product, so take this section with that in mind. We've tried to be as factual as possible — including where competitors beat us.
| Data | Validity | Price (USD) | Price per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| 3 GB | 15 days | $6.99 | $2.33 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $11.99 | $2.40 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $16.99 | $1.70 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $23.99 | $1.20 |
Networks: Travelsim Asia runs on SK Telecom and LG U+ — including SK Telecom, Korea's largest network — both with 5G. No app, no account — eSIM delivered by email and installed straight from the email. Fixed plans only, full speed, no throttling. Top-ups via web portal. No unlimited plans.
Where we lead, and where we don't. Travelsim Asia has the lowest-priced 1 GB, 3 GB, and 20 GB South Korea eSIM plans, and matches the market's best 1 GB price — at $2.99 it's the cheapest 1 GB anywhere. The 20 GB plan at $23.99 is the standout: the cheapest 20 GB in the market, $4 below Nomad's $28.00. But we're honest about the middle — Nomad is cheaper at 5 GB ($10.00 vs our $11.99) and Ubigi is cheaper at 10 GB ($14.00 vs our $16.99). If you need exactly 5 or 10 GB, they're worth a look.
Price comparison table: all providers side by side
All prices in USD. Fixed data plans only — unlimited plans excluded from this table as throttling makes direct comparison misleading.
| Data | Travelsim Asia | Airalo | Nomad | Saily | Ubigi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | $2.99 / 7d | $4.00 / 3d | $4.00 / 7d | $3.99 / 7d | $3.00 / 7d |
| 3 GB | $6.99 / 15d | $9.00 / 7d | $8.00 / 30d | $8.99 / 30d | $7.00 / 7d |
| 5 GB | $11.99 / 30d | $11.00 / 30d | $10.00 / 30d | $10.99 / 30d | — |
| 10 GB | $16.99 / 30d | $19.00 / 30d | $18.00 / 30d | $18.99 / 30d | $14.00 / 30d |
| 20 GB | $23.99 / 30d | $30.00 / 30d | $28.00 / 30d | $29.99 / 30d | $25.00 / 30d (25 GB) |
| 50 GB | — | $49.00 / 30d | $39.00 / 30d | — | — |
Prices verified September 2026. Always check provider websites before purchasing — plans and pricing change. "d" = days validity. Ubigi's largest standard plan is 25 GB (shown in the 20 GB row).
The Korea market splits by plan size. Travelsim Asia owns the ends of the range — cheapest 1 GB ($2.99), cheapest 3 GB ($6.99), and a 20 GB plan ($23.99) that's $4 below the next option. The middle goes to others: Nomad is cheapest at 5 GB ($10.00) and Ubigi at 10 GB ($14.00). Beyond price, the differentiators are app requirements (only Travelsim Asia needs no app and no account) and carrier set — Travelsim Asia and Holafly run SK Telecom + LG U+, Airalo runs SK Telecom only, and Nomad adds KT.
Which South Korea eSIM gives the best value?
There's no single best answer — it depends on your plan size and priorities. Here's a straightforward breakdown:
- Best for short trips (1–3 GB): Travelsim Asia — $2.99 / 1 GB / 7 days and $6.99 / 3 GB / 15 days, the lowest at both sizes. Ubigi's 1 GB is next at $3.00, then Saily at $3.99; Airalo and Nomad sit at $4.00. For 3 GB, Ubigi's $7.00 (7 days) is closest, with Nomad at $8.00 for a longer 30-day window.
- Best for 5 GB: Nomad — $10.00 / 30 days, the cheapest 5 GB in this comparison. Saily is $10.99 and Airalo $11.00. Travelsim Asia is the priciest here at $11.99, so if 5 GB is exactly what you need, Nomad is the value pick.
- Best for 10 GB: Ubigi — $14.00 / 30 days, clearly the cheapest 10 GB. Travelsim Asia is next at $16.99 (and beats Nomad's $18.00, Saily's $18.99, and Airalo's $19.00), but Ubigi wins this tier outright.
- Best for large plans (20 GB): Travelsim Asia — $23.99 / 30 days, and it's not close. The next cheapest 20 GB is Nomad at $28.00, then Saily at $29.99 and Airalo at $30.00. At $1.20/GB, Travelsim Asia's 20 GB undercuts every provider's 10 GB plan on a per-GB basis. For a longer trip or a heavier data user, this is the strongest deal in the market.
- Best for unlimited data: Nomad and Ubigi — both $25 for 7 days, ahead of Holafly's $27.50, and Nomad/Ubigi are clearer about their fair-use behavior than Holafly, which doesn't disclose its Korea FUP. Saily's unlimited (from $18.99 / 5 days) has a transparent 5 GB/day cap.
- Most expensive for short trips: Holafly — at about $4/day its unlimited pricing is the most expensive option on short trips (a 7-day plan is $27.50), with a non-disclosed FUP. The per-day rate drops on 30-day plans (~$2.46/day, total $73.90), making it more competitive at that duration.
Unlimited vs fixed: which is actually better for South Korea?
South Korea is one of the destinations where this question genuinely matters — because you use your phone constantly. Korea blocks Google Maps from offering full turn-by-turn, so you'll lean on Naver Map and KakaoMap; add KakaoTalk, translation, and finding restaurants, and it adds up.
| Fixed data plan | Unlimited plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Full speed, all the time | Full speed to the daily cap, then throttled hard |
| Predictability | You know the number before you fly | Depends on what you did that day |
| Price | Cheaper for almost everyone | Dearer, and you are paying for not counting |
| Best for | Most travelers | Tethering a laptop, or streaming on the KTX |
| Runs out? | Yes, and you top up from a browser | No, but the throttle can be brutal |
For most South Korea travelers, a fixed plan is the sweet spot. A 3–5 GB plan covers a week of Naver Map, KakaoTalk, translation, and social media at full speed for less than an unlimited plan costs. If you're a heavy user or hotspotting a laptop, the smart move in Korea is Travelsim Asia's 20 GB at $23.99 — per gigabyte it's cheaper than every rival's 10 GB plan and gives you headroom without the throttling that comes with "unlimited." See how much data you actually need for South Korea.
How much data do you actually need for South Korea?
Most travelers buy 5 GB for a week in South Korea and 10 GB for two weeks. Korea runs heavier than most destinations for one specific reason: Google Maps cannot give full turn-by-turn navigation there because of a long-standing map-data export restriction, so you end up on Naver Map or KakaoMap and leaning on them harder. Our South Korea data guide works that out properly, app by app.
Dig deeper
Need more detail on a specific topic? We've covered the South Korea eSIM decision from every angle:
- Best eSIM for South Korea (2026) — full comparison of Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi, and Travelsim Asia on coverage, throttling, and setup.
- Cheapest South Korea eSIM 2026 — pure price comparison: the lowest price at every data tier, across all major providers.
- Travelsim Asia vs Airalo South Korea eSIM — head-to-head on price, network, and setup between the two most popular options.
- How Much Data Do You Need for South Korea? — full breakdown of typical usage and the right plan size for your trip.
- How to Buy and Install a South Korea eSIM, step-by-step setup for iPhone and Android before you fly.
Not sure which plan is right for your trip? Our support team is available 24/7 via email and live chat — typical response time under one hour.