Price per GB
$1.08
Median mid-tier catalogue price.
Compare regionally.
Prices, network indicators, operators and trip-planning tools for Malaysia. Use the full calculator with the destination already selected.
Calculate the GB required for Malaysia with the full Drift calculator.
Check whether your exact phone model supports eSIM.
Open prices, history, field tests and reusable datasets.
Compare composite value across every destination.
Compare the current cost of mobile data across the region.
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See the local mobile networks used by our eSIM offers.
Download citable figures, charts, CSV data and studies.
Strong peninsula coverage; Borneo interior patchier.
Malaysia has excellent 4G/5G coverage (97%+ of populated areas) and some of the cheapest data in Southeast Asia. A notable quirk: the 5G network is built and managed by a single government-backed wholesale entity, so 5G coverage is effectively the same whichever carrier you use. For overall reach including Borneo, CelcomDigi leads; Maxis is strong in cities. Coverage is solid across Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi and the main peninsula; very remote areas and parts of Sabah/Sarawak favour CelcomDigi.
Typical local SIM: $Among the cheapest in Asia: roughly 2-3 USD for a starter pack, 5-14 USD for 30-day plans with 10GB to unlimited. Travel eSIMs from ~1.5 USD/day.. Usually sold at Airport kiosks (Maxis, CelcomDigi, U Mobile, 24/7), malls, 7-Elevens, telecom shops. Since Feb 2026, physical SIM registration requires passport + biometric photo + hotel address (MCMC rules), a 10-20 min process; eSIM skips all of it.. Cell service is cheap whatever you pick, especially if you wait until you've left the airport. Because of the Feb 2026 biometric SIM registration, an eSIM is now the fastest way to land connected without paperwork.
An eSIM now mainly buys you out of the Feb 2026 biometric SIM registration and lets you land connected. If you're budget-focused and don't mind the paperwork, a local SIM in town is among the cheapest in Asia. Go CelcomDigi for Borneo or deep rural.
Largest carrier after the Celcom-Digi merger, best coverage everywhere including Borneo (Sabah/Sarawak). The safest pick if you travel across the country.
Strong urban coverage and best multi-country roaming plans. Usually the priciest but cheap by Malaysian standards.
Smaller, gaining momentum especially on 5G, but can struggle in more remote areas. Fine for cities and main routes.
Short trips, or any time you want to skip the new biometric SIM registration (passport + photo + hotel address since Feb 2026) and land connected. The paperwork-free angle is the real draw now.
Budget trips if you can wait until town; local SIMs are dirt cheap (a week of data for a couple of dollars). For long stays a local plan wins on price per GB.
No first-hand measurement has been published for Malaysia yet. This page will update automatically when a validated field test is added to the shared dataset.
Price per GB is the median of mid-tier plans from the live Malaysia catalogue. Network and transparency indicators come from the shared Drift dataset and are refreshed monthly.
Field measurements are published only after validation. Open dataset: data-asia.json.
Figures updated August 2026. Dataset license: CC BY 4.0.
Use this page to compare the current price per GB, network indicator, transparency signal and local-operator reference for Malaysia. It also links to a destination calculator and plan page.
It is the median price per GB of mid-tier plans in the live Malaysia catalogue. Small 1 GB teasers and 50 GB or larger bulk plans are excluded so the figure reflects a typical traveller choice.
The page shows the current mobile speed indicator, a transparency score and the main local operator. These are destination-level signals, not a guarantee for every street or device.
The decision section compares the practical trade-offs. A travel eSIM is usually simpler for a short visit; a local SIM can make sense when you need a local number, longer service or local pricing.