For a lot of people, the holidays are the moment to swap a grey December for somewhere warm, and the choice usually comes down to flight time, hotel price and how hot it will be. The cost of staying online rarely comes into it, yet it varies more than any of those. Across the warm places we sell, the same 5 GB costs anything from the price of a Spain plan to thirteen times as much. Distance has little to do with it. Thailand costs exactly what the Canary Islands cost for any plan between 1 and 20 GB. Cape Verde, another Atlantic island group sold for winter sun, costs twelve times as much for 5 GB, and no multi-country plan we sell covers it. This guide ranks the warm places for December by what data costs there, with each one's average December high from its national weather service. Then it works out how much a week or a fortnight on the beach really uses, when unlimited pays, and where you need to buy nothing at all.
Five price tiers for the same 5 GB
We compared the 5 GB month, the size most people buy for a week or two away, in the warm destinations people book for the holidays. They fall into five clear tiers, measured against our Spain plan, which is also the plan for the Canary Islands.
The spread has nothing to do with distance or with what the hotel costs. On several of the dearest islands, every plan we sell runs on a single local network, and a few of those islands are on no multi-country plan at all, so there is no cheaper way round it.
Temperatures below are average daily highs for December, the long-term figures each country's national weather service publishes through the World Meteorological Organization.
- The same as Spain: the Canary Islands, Madeira, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali and Australia
- Up to about twice as much: Florida, the Philippines, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and Vietnam
- Two to three times: Brazil, Qatar, Oman, Mexico, the UAE, the Dominican Republic and Kenya
- Three to six times: Mauritius, Colombia, Uruguay, Zanzibar, the Seychelles and the Maldives
- Seven times and more: Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Cape Verde and the Gambia
As cheap as Spain: the Canaries, Madeira, Thailand and Bali
Six warm destinations match our Spain prices on every plan from 1 GB up to 20 GB. They are the Canary Islands, which run on Spanish networks, Madeira, which runs on Portuguese ones, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali and the rest of Indonesia, and Australia.
They are not equally warm. The Canaries average a December high of about 22 degrees, and Madeira 20 in Funchal: mild sun, a short flight from most of Europe. Thailand and Malaysia are properly hot, with Phuket and Langkawi both at 31.5 degrees and Bangkok at 31.3. Sydney averages 25.5 and Perth 28.8, at the start of the Australian summer.
Bali is the warmest of the six, at 33.0 degrees in Denpasar, but December falls in its wet season, with 276 mm of rain over 22 days in an average year. Plan for some afternoons indoors, which on a holiday mostly means the hotel Wi-Fi rather than more of your own data.
- Canary Islands: 22.1 degrees in Tenerife, 22.2 in Gran Canaria, 21.8 in Lanzarote
- Madeira: 20.0 degrees in Funchal
- Thailand: 31.5 in Phuket and 31.3 in Bangkok
- Malaysia: 31.5 in Langkawi
- Bali: 33.0 in Denpasar, with 276 mm of rain over 22 days
- Australia: 25.5 in Sydney and 28.8 in Perth
A little dearer: Florida, Morocco, Egypt and Sri Lanka
The next tier costs up to about twice the Spain price for 5 GB. Florida is the cheapest of them: our US plans cost about a sixth more than Spain at that size, and the Philippines the same. New Zealand costs a third more, Sri Lanka half as much again, Morocco two thirds more, Egypt and South Africa a little under twice as much, and Vietnam twice.
Florida in December is warm rather than hot, with Miami and Key West averaging 24.4 degrees and Orlando 22.3. Egypt's Red Sea coast is the driest place in this guide: Hurghada averages 23.2 degrees and 1.5 mm of rain in December, and Sharm el-Sheikh 23.4. Agadir in Morocco averages 22.1, Cape Town 24.9 at the start of its summer, Colombo 30.3, though with 175 mm of rain, and Ho Chi Minh City 31.6.
In Egypt the gap grows with the size of the plan: 5 GB costs 1.8 times the Spain price, and 10 GB about 2.7 times. That makes it a place to buy for the trip you are actually taking rather than rounding up to the next size.
- Florida: about a sixth more than Spain at 5 GB; Miami 24.4 degrees
- Morocco: two thirds more; Agadir 22.1 degrees
- Egypt: 1.8 times at 5 GB, about 2.7 times at 10 GB; Hurghada 23.2 degrees and almost no rain
- Sri Lanka: half as much again; Colombo 30.3 degrees
- South Africa: 1.8 times; Cape Town 24.9 degrees
- Vietnam: twice; Ho Chi Minh City 31.6 degrees
The Gulf: sun almost guaranteed, data two to three times dearer
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Doha are warm and dry in December. Dubai averages 26.2 degrees with two rainy days in the month, Abu Dhabi 25.7, Muscat 26.8 and Doha 24.1. For data they sit in the middle tier: our UAE 5 GB month costs 2.67 times the Spain price, Oman 2.34 times and Qatar 2.17 times.
The exception is the smallest plan. The one-gigabyte week costs the same in the UAE, Oman and Qatar as it does in Spain, and the same is true everywhere in the first three tiers of this guide. For a short stopover with good hotel Wi-Fi, it is often all you need.
If you are combining Dubai with a few days in Oman, two country plans cost less than any multi-country plan we sell that covers both, at every size, even though the two together give you twice the data.
- UAE: 2.67 times the Spain price at 5 GB; Dubai 26.2 degrees
- Oman: 2.34 times; Muscat 26.8 degrees
- Qatar: 2.17 times; Doha 24.1 degrees
- The 1 GB week costs what it costs in Spain across the first three tiers
- Dubai plus Oman: two country plans beat every plan that covers both
Mexico, the Caribbean and South America
Mexico's resort coasts are hot and, on the Pacific side, dry in December: Cancún averages 28.2 degrees and Puerto Vallarta 29.9, with 22.5 mm of rain over about two days. Our Mexico 5 GB month costs 2.5 times the Spain price, and the Dominican Republic, where Punta Cana averages 28.1 degrees, 2.67 times.
The Caribbean islands are where prices climb fast. Jamaica costs 7.3 times the Spain price for 5 GB and Barbados 7.5 times, and the Bahamas, where Nassau averages 26.4 degrees, ten times. Our Jamaica plans run on Digicel and our Barbados plans on FLOW, both at 4G, and our Bahamas plans on BTC, also at 4G. The Bahamas is on no multi-country plan we sell.
South of the equator, December is summer. Rio de Janeiro averages 28.6 degrees, with summer rain of 169 mm, Punta del Este in Uruguay 23.8 and Cartagena in Colombia 30.7. Our Brazil 5 GB month costs 2.17 times the Spain price, Colombia 3.3 times and Uruguay 3.7 times.
- Mexico: 2.5 times; Cancún 28.2 and Puerto Vallarta 29.9 degrees
- Dominican Republic: 2.67 times; Punta Cana 28.1 degrees
- Jamaica and Barbados: about 7.5 times; the Bahamas ten times
- Brazil: 2.17 times; Rio 28.6 degrees, with summer rain
- Colombia: 3.3 times; Cartagena 30.7 degrees
- Uruguay: 3.7 times; Punta del Este 23.8 degrees
The islands where data costs the most
The dearest places in this guide are islands, or small countries with a single network. Our Maldives plans cost 5.8 times the Spain price for 5 GB, the Seychelles 5.3 times, Zanzibar, on our Tanzania plan, five times, and Mauritius 3.3 times. Cape Verde costs 12.4 times as much, and the Gambia 13 times.
Four of these places are on no multi-country plan we sell at all: Cape Verde, the Gambia, the Maldives and the Bahamas. Every plan that covers them is a plan for that one country, and in all four every plan runs on a single local network at 4G.
The weather is why people pay it. Malé in the Maldives averages 30.1 degrees in December, Port Louis in Mauritius 31.1, Victoria in the Seychelles 30.3 and Sal in Cape Verde 25.2, with almost no rain. The way to keep the bill sensible is to buy small and lean on the resort's Wi-Fi: in Cape Verde the one-gigabyte week costs four and a half times the Spain price, against more than twelve times for 5 GB.
- Maldives: 5.8 times; Malé 30.1 degrees; on no multi-country plan
- Seychelles: 5.3 times; Victoria 30.3 degrees, with heavy rain
- Mauritius: 3.3 times; Port Louis 31.1 degrees
- Cape Verde: 12.4 times at 5 GB but 4.5 times for the 1 GB week; Sal 25.2 degrees; on no multi-country plan
- The Gambia: 13 times; on no multi-country plan
Warm does not always mean dry
December is the rainy season in several places sold as winter sun. Bali averages 276 mm of rain over 22 days in December, the Seychelles 306 mm over 21 days, the Maldives 217 mm and Ko Samui, on Thailand's Gulf coast, 209 mm, while Phuket on the Andaman coast gets 62 mm and Bangkok 10 mm. Vietnam splits the same way: Da Nang in the centre averages 272 mm and Ho Chi Minh City in the south 41 mm.
The driest places in this guide are Egypt's Red Sea coast, with 1.5 mm in Hurghada, Sal in Cape Verde with 1.6 mm, Dubai with 14 mm and Puerto Vallarta with 22.5 mm.
A wet-season destination is no reason to buy a bigger plan. Rainy afternoons tend to move you onto the hotel Wi-Fi rather than use up more of your own data, so size the plan for the dry days, when you are out with maps and a camera.
- Wettest in December: the Seychelles 306 mm, Bali 276 mm, Da Nang 272 mm, the Maldives 217 mm, Ko Samui 209 mm
- Driest: Hurghada 1.5 mm, Sal 1.6 mm, Bangkok 10 mm, Dubai 14 mm, Puerto Vallarta 22.5 mm
- Thailand splits by coast: Phuket 62 mm, Ko Samui 209 mm
How much data a week on the beach really uses
Beach holidays are light on data. The hotel or resort usually has Wi-Fi, the days are spent outdoors, and your own data mostly goes on maps for day trips, messages, a few photos sent home and the odd taxi booking.
At the 700 MB a normal day takes in our data guide, a week comes to about 5 GB and a fortnight to about 10 GB. A video call home over Christmas, at around 300 MB an hour, adds about 2 GB a week if you call every day. On a resort holiday where you are on Wi-Fi most evenings, you will often use less than all of that.
One habit pushes the numbers up: sharing your phone's connection with a partner, a child's tablet or a laptop. Count each extra device as another person rather than expecting one allowance to stretch.
- A week mostly on hotel Wi-Fi: the 3 GB or 5 GB month
- A week of normal use away from Wi-Fi: 5 GB
- A fortnight of normal use: 10 GB
- A fortnight with a daily video call home: 20 GB
- Sharing with another device: count it as another person
Unlimited in the sun costs about twice the 20 GB month
Each day on our unlimited plans starts with 3 GB at full speed, and after that the speed drops to 1 Mbps until the next day begins. Over two weeks that is 42 GB at full speed, and in most warm destinations the 14-day unlimited plan costs about twice the 20 GB month: 1.9 times in the UAE, Mexico and the US, 2.1 times in Egypt, 2.25 times in Thailand and 2.5 times in Spain.
So unlimited pays only if you would genuinely use more than 20 GB in a fortnight, which on a beach holiday mostly means streaming away from the Wi-Fi or sharing your connection with a family. Australia is where it pays least: there the 14-day unlimited plan costs 3.8 times the 20 GB month.
Thailand is the other way round. Its unlimited plans cost less than Spain's, the week about a fifth less, which makes it the cheapest warm place in this guide for unlimited.
- 14 days of unlimited: 42 GB at full speed, then 1 Mbps
- About twice the 20 GB month in the UAE, Mexico, the US and Egypt
- 2.25 times in Thailand, 2.5 times in Spain, 3.8 times in Australia
- Cheapest unlimited of all the warm places: Thailand
Who needs nothing, and a plan for each trip
If your phone contract comes from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, the Canary Islands and Madeira count as part of the EU for roaming, so your home allowance works there just as it does on the mainland. Morocco, Egypt, Cape Verde and everywhere further afield are outside that rule.
Island hopping within Europe is simple: our cheapest Europe plans cover both Spain and Portugal for no more than one country's price, up to 5 GB, so Tenerife and Madeira on one trip need only one plan.
For everyone else, the right plan follows the tier. Where data is cheap, buy for the trip you are taking. Where it is dear, buy the smallest plan that covers the moments you are away from the Wi-Fi.
- The Canaries, Madeira, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali or Australia: 5 GB for a week, 10 GB for a fortnight
- Florida, Morocco, Egypt, Sri Lanka or South Africa: the same sizes, at a sixth more to twice the price
- The Gulf, Mexico or the Dominican Republic on a short stay: the 1 GB week costs what it costs in Spain
- The Maldives, Cape Verde, the Bahamas and the other dear islands: the smallest plan and the resort's Wi-Fi
- Tenerife and Madeira together: one Europe plan
- A fortnight of heavy streaming: unlimited, cheapest of all in Thailand
Frequently asked questions
Where is it hot in December for a winter sun holiday?
Going by the average December highs national weather services publish through the World Meteorological Organization: Ho Chi Minh City 31.6 degrees, Phuket and Langkawi 31.5, Port Louis in Mauritius 31.1, Malé 30.1, Puerto Vallarta 29.9, Cancún 28.2, Dubai 26.2, Hurghada 23.2, the Canary Islands about 22 and Funchal in Madeira 20.0. Bali reaches 33.0 but is in its wet season.
Which winter sun destination has the cheapest mobile data?
Six are tied at our lowest prices: the Canary Islands, Madeira, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali and Australia all match our Spain prices for every plan from 1 GB to 20 GB. For unlimited, Thailand is the cheapest warm destination we sell, about a fifth below Spain for a week.
Does EU roaming work in the Canary Islands and Madeira?
Yes. Both count as part of the EU for roaming, so phone contracts from EU countries, and from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, roam there at home prices, exactly as on the Spanish or Portuguese mainland. Morocco, Egypt and Cape Verde are outside the EU rule.
How expensive is mobile data in Cape Verde?
The dearest of the big winter sun destinations: our 5 GB month costs 12.4 times the Spain price. The one-gigabyte week is the sensible buy, at 4.5 times the Spain price, used alongside the resort's Wi-Fi. Every plan we sell for Cape Verde runs on one network at 4G, and no multi-country plan covers it.
Is there a regional eSIM that covers the Maldives?
Not from us. No multi-country plan we sell includes the Maldives, so the Maldives plan is the only option, and it runs on a single network at 4G. The 5 GB month costs 5.8 times the Spain price, so most visitors buy small and use the resort Wi-Fi.
How much dearer is data in Dubai than in Spain?
Moderately. Our UAE 5 GB month costs 2.67 times the Spain price, and the larger plans more than that. The one-gigabyte week, though, costs exactly what it costs in Spain, which suits a short stopover with good hotel Wi-Fi.
Does it rain in Bali in December?
Yes, a lot. December is Bali's wet season, and Denpasar averages 276 mm of rain over 22 days that month, with an average high of 33.0 degrees. Expect warm, humid days with heavy showers, and some afternoons spent indoors.
Is Egypt warm enough for a beach holiday in December?
Warm and very dry rather than hot. Hurghada averages a December high of 23.2 degrees with 1.5 mm of rain, and Sharm el-Sheikh 23.4. Our Egypt 5 GB month costs 1.8 times the Spain price, and the gap grows at larger sizes, so buy the size you need.
What size of plan suits a fortnight at a beach resort?
About 10 GB at normal use away from Wi-Fi, or 20 GB if you make a daily video call home. If you spend most evenings on the hotel Wi-Fi, 5 GB can be enough. Count any tablet or laptop sharing your connection as another person.
Does unlimited data pay off on a beach holiday?
Only if you would use more than 20 GB in a fortnight. In most warm destinations the 14-day unlimited plan costs about twice the 20 GB month for 42 GB at full speed. It is the poorest value in Australia, at 3.8 times, and the cheapest in Thailand.
One plan for Tenerife and Madeira: does that work?
Yes. Spain and Portugal both appear on our cheapest Europe plans, priced at 1, 3 and 5 GB exactly like a plan for either country alone, so one plan covers the Canaries and Madeira together. If your contract is from the EU, you may not need anything at all.
Is Florida warm in December?
Warm rather than hot. Miami and Key West average 24.4 degrees in December and Orlando 22.3, according to US weather service averages. For data, the US is about a sixth dearer than Spain at 5 GB, and the 1 GB week costs the same.