Best eSIM for Singapore (2026): StarHub 5G, Real Prices, and When the Local SIM Wins
Written for the traveller who lands at Changi and flies on to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur the same week. Which network, what it costs per gigabyte, and the honest case for buying a local SIM instead.
Quick answer: For the regional traveller: Singapore plus at least one more Southeast Asian country in the same trip. There is no Singapore-only plan.
Key takeaways
- There is no Singapore-only plan. Singapore is sold inside the South-Eastern Asia plan, 18 countries, roaming on StarHub (5G). That is a drawback for a Singapore-only trip and the whole point for a regional one.
- Dated prices (23 September 2026): 5 GB for 7 days US$16.68 (US$2.38 a day, US$3.34 per GB), 10 GB for 7 days US$23.52 (US$3.36 a day, US$2.35 per GB), 20 GB for 15 days US$39.00 (US$2.60 a day, US$1.95 per GB).
- After the high-speed bucket the line stays connected at 128 kbps. That still carries messaging, email and map tiles. It does not carry a video call.
- The honest comparison: Singtel's hi! Tourist SIM was S$10 for 7 days with a 500 GB pool on the Singtel site on 23 September 2026. On raw gigabytes per dollar, no travel eSIM competes. You pay for it with a passport, a counter and a queue.
The person this is written for lands at Changi late, has a meeting in the morning, and flies to Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok before the week is out. The sentence they would actually say is: "I am not queueing at a SIM counter at 11pm, and I am not buying a second SIM on Thursday."
Does a Singapore eSIM roam on StarHub, and why is there no Singapore-only plan?
StarHub, on 5G. And the plan is regional, not national: in the Fizen catalogue there is no Singapore country-only plan at all. Singapore is sold inside the South-Eastern Asia plan, which covers 18 countries, on StarHub. That is worth saying plainly, because most pages selling a "Singapore eSIM" do not tell you which network you land on or that you are buying a multi-country product.
| What you are doing | Bandwidth it needs | Does it survive at 128 kbps? |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging, email, map tiles | Under 0.5 Mbps | Yes, slowly |
| Zoom audio-only call | 60 to 80 kbps | Yes |
| Zoom 1:1 video call, 720p | 1.2 Mbps up and down | No |
| Zoom group video call, 1080p | 3.8 Mbps up, 3.0 Mbps down | No |
| YouTube live at 720p, 30 fps | 4 Mbps recommended | No |
What does a Singapore eSIM cost per day and per gigabyte?
Every row below is the South-Eastern Asia plan on StarHub 5G, priced on 23 September 2026. The per-day and per-gigabyte columns are the numbers buyers actually compare.
| Plan | Total | Per day | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB, 3 days | US$9.94 | US$3.31 | US$9.94 |
| 5 GB, 7 days | US$16.68 | US$2.38 | US$3.34 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | US$18.36 | US$0.61 | US$3.67 |
| 10 GB, 7 days | US$23.52 | US$3.36 | US$2.35 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | US$25.60 | US$0.85 | US$2.56 |
| 20 GB, 15 days | US$39.00 | US$2.60 | US$1.95 |
| 50 GB, 30 days | US$79.74 | US$2.66 | US$1.59 |
How much data does a Singapore week actually use?
Sizing for the regional traveller: navigation between meetings, ride apps, messaging, photos, and calls that are sometimes video. One Mbps sustained for an hour is about 0.45 GB, which is how the video rows below are calculated from the published bitrates, and those rows count both upload and download because a call sends as much as it receives. The underlying figures are Zoom's and YouTube's own published numbers.
| A day in Singapore | Rough data |
|---|---|
| Maps and transit directions, on and off all day | 0.1 to 0.2 GB |
| Messaging, email, a few dozen photos sent | 0.2 to 0.3 GB |
| Social feeds and web, 45 minutes | 0.3 to 0.5 GB |
| One hour of 720p video calls, one to one | About 1.1 GB |
| Typical day, no video calls | About 0.6 to 1 GB |
| Typical day with an hour of video calls | About 1.7 to 2.1 GB |
Is coverage ever a problem in Singapore?
Less than almost anywhere else you will travel. On the specific network you will be roaming on, StarHub said in a February 2024 press release that its outdoor 5G network reached over 99% coverage in Singapore. That is the one coverage figure in this guide that we could read at its source, and it is the carrier's own claim rather than a regulator's measurement.
Should I just buy a local tourist SIM at Changi instead?
| Option | Price and validity | What you get | What it costs you in effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singtel hi! Tourist | S$10, 7 days | 500 GB pool usable in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong, plus local calls and SMS | Passport, a counter, a queue |
| StarHub Tourist SIM | S$12, 30 days | 300 GB local, plus regional roaming allowances; the eSIM version is data-only | Passport; the data eSIM must be activated within 18 days of purchase |
| M1 Tourist SIM | S$12, 30 days | 500 GB local, plus a separate 20 GB APAC allowance and 7 GB international, on m1.com.sg on 23 September 2026 | Passport; M1 states a passport-registered SIM is valid for 30 days from the day of registration, and Singpass is required for some registration document types |
| Fizen regional eSIM | US$23.52, 10 GB, 7 days | 18 countries on StarHub 5G, data only | Installed at home before you fly, nothing to do on arrival |
Terms and conditions
- Information only. This article is information about mobile data options for travellers in Singapore. It is not an offer or sale of any product or service, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice.
- For readers in the United States. This article provides information only. It is not an offer, solicitation or sale of any product or service, and it is not financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Fizen is not offered to US Persons.
- Independent. Fizen is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of Singtel, StarHub, M1, Changi Airport Group, IMDA, ICA or SimplyGo. Carrier plans and prices are those published on their own sites on 23 September 2026 and change without notice, and carrier coverage claims are the carriers' own dated statements.
- Rules change, so check before you travel. SIM registration rules, arrival card requirements and entry rules are set by the Singapore authorities and change. Check IMDA and ICA directly before you rely on anything here, and submit the SG Arrival Card only at the official ICA site.
- Data only. A travel eSIM carries data. It does not give you a local phone number and it does not send or receive SMS, so keep your home SIM active for bank one-time codes and calls.
- eSIM terms. Prices, validity, data size, throttle speed and hotspot rules are the ones shown at checkout. Real speed depends on the network and where you are. Your phone must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Most travel eSIMs cannot be topped up, so more data means a new eSIM.
- Full terms. Master Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Disclaimer on the Fizen site.
Sources
- Singtel: hi! Tourist prepaid plans
- StarHub: Travel and Tourist SIM
- M1: Tourist SIM
- Changi Airport: where to buy a SIM card
- Changi Airport: internet connection and #WiFi@Changi
- IMDA: Wireless@SG
- IMDA: number of prepaid cards per subscriber reduced to three (effective 1 April 2014)
- StarHub: 5G network achieves over 99% outdoor coverage (14 February 2024)
Updated 23 September 2026.
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