eSIM for Australia and New Zealand: prices, outback gaps and road-trip coverage
What mobile data costs in Australia and New Zealand, why one country plan each usually beats a combined plan, and where signal disappears on outback highways and South Island passes.
· 7 min read
A travel eSIM is the easy way to have mobile data in Australia and New Zealand: install it at home, switch it on when you land in Sydney or Auckland, and your usual SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts. Both countries have good coverage in cities and towns and very little in between once you leave the main roads, which matters more here than almost anywhere else. Cabin Mode sells plans for each country and a combined plan; for most trips, two country plans are cheaper.
What Australia and New Zealand data costs
Australia
| Data | Valid for | Price (USD) | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $1.40 | $1.40 |
| 3 GB | 15 days | $3.40 | $1.13 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $5.40 | $1.08 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $9.40 | $0.94 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $16.40 | $0.82 |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $34.00 | $0.68 |
New Zealand
| Data | Valid for | Price (USD) | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | $1.70 | $1.70 |
| 3 GB | 15 days | $5.02 | $1.67 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $8.36 | $1.67 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $15.24 | $1.52 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $27.98 | $1.40 |
Australia and New Zealand on one eSIM
| Data | Valid for | Price (USD) | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 GB | 30 days | $17.00 | $3.40 |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $31.60 | $3.16 |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $58.00 | $2.90 |
Prices checked 25 September 2026; the app shows current prices in your currency. See Australia plans, New Zealand plans and the Australia and New Zealand plan.
One plan or two?
Here the answer is usually two. Ten GB in Australia plus 5 GB in New Zealand is $17.76, against $31.60 for 10 GB on the combined plan. Because the two countries are a three-hour flight apart, you switch once, at a time you know about, not repeatedly at a land border.
Your iPhone can hold both eSIMs at once. Install both at home, and when you land in the second country, change the data line in Settings › Cellular (Mobile Service in some regions). Most plans start on first connection in their own country, so the second one doesn't start ticking while you're still in the first. The plan screen says which rule each plan follows.
The combined plan makes sense for simplicity, or if you're going back and forth several times.
How much data you'll need
Australia and New Zealand trips tend to be road trips, and road trips run on maps, fuel-station searches, campsite bookings and weather checks.
- City break of a week: 5 GB
- Two-week road trip: 10 GB
- A month in a campervan, or working on the road: 20 GB to 50 GB, especially if you hotspot a laptop
Campsites and motels often have wifi, but it's frequently slow or capped. Plan on mobile data being your main connection. There's no unlimited data plan for either country in the catalog right now; the 50 GB Australia plan is the heavy-use option. How much data do I need for a trip has the per-app numbers.
Coverage in Australia
Australia's mobile networks reach almost everyone who lives there, and very little of the land. Even the largest network covers only around a third of the landmass, and the others cover less.
- Cities and towns: strong 4G and 5G in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and regional centres.
- Coastal highways: mostly covered along the east coast between Sydney and Cairns, with gaps between towns.
- The outback: expect no signal for hundreds of kilometres on routes like the Stuart Highway between towns, the Nullarbor, and around Uluru beyond the resort area. Roadhouses sometimes have wifi.
- National parks: the Blue Mountains, Grampians and Daintree have signal near towns and lookouts and gaps on trails.
Australia switched off its 3G networks in 2024, so you'll be on 4G or 5G wherever there's signal.
For remote driving, a phone is not a safety plan. Download offline maps, tell someone your route, and carry a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon. On iPhone 14 and later, Emergency SOS via satellite is available in Australia for when there's no signal at all.
Coverage in New Zealand
New Zealand's towns and main highways are covered, and the North Island is generally better than the South. Most New Zealand plans in the catalog run on 3G and 4G rather than 5G, which makes little practical difference outside Auckland and Wellington.
Known gaps on popular routes:
- Milford Road: signal in Te Anau, then very little for most of the drive until Milford Sound's wharf area.
- Haast Pass: long stretches without signal between Wānaka and Haast.
- The West Coast: thin between the towns along State Highway 6.
- Great Walks like the Routeburn and Milford Track: effectively offline.
- Aoraki/Mount Cook: signal at the village, patchy up the valley roads.
Download each day's route and your accommodation details before you leave town in the morning. On iPhone 14 and later, Emergency SOS via satellite is also available in New Zealand.
Local SIM or travel eSIM
Both countries sell prepaid tourist SIM cards at the airport and in supermarkets. In Australia, prepaid services have to be activated with ID verification, which can be done online or in store. A local SIM gives you a local number and sometimes cheaper long-term rates.
For most visitors, a travel eSIM is simpler: nothing to buy after a long-haul flight, nothing to activate, and your home SIM stays in the phone so bank codes and texts keep arriving. The comparison is in travel eSIM vs roaming vs a local SIM.
Do you need a local number?
Not usually. Cabin Mode is data only, with no phone number:
- Uber and DiDi accept international numbers in both countries.
- Campervan hire and tour operators take bookings with an international number and email.
- Public transport in Sydney accepts contactless bank cards and Apple Pay at Opal gates; Auckland and Wellington have their own cards and apps.
- WhatsApp and iMessage keep working on your usual number.
If a service insists on a local number to send you a code, use email where it's offered, or ask the business to message you instead.
Landing in Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland
Install the eSIM on home wifi first, following how to install an eSIM on iPhone. On landing:
- Set mobile data to the Cabin Mode line in Settings › Cellular (Mobile Service in some regions).
- Turn data roaming on for that line only.
- Leave data roaming off for your home line.
Long-haul flights into Australia often arrive early in the morning. Being online before customs means you can check your hotel's early check-in, book a ride or find the train into the city while you queue.
Adding the Pacific
If Fiji, Samoa, Tonga or Vanuatu is part of the trip, there's an Oceania regional plan covering Australia, New Zealand and several Pacific islands on one eSIM. It costs noticeably more per GB, so it's worth it only if you're actually visiting the islands.
Top-ups
If you run low, a top-up adds data to the same eSIM, with nothing to reinstall. Usage in the app lags one to three hours, so top up before a remote stretch rather than in the middle of one. For long stays, eligible 30-day lines can be put on an optional monthly plan that tops up the same line each month; cancel it in the app when you leave.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use one eSIM for Australia and New Zealand?
Yes. The Australia and New Zealand plan covers both on one eSIM. Two separate country plans are usually much cheaper per GB, and your iPhone can hold both.
Does my phone work in the Australian outback?
In towns and roadhouses, often. Between them, on most outback highways, there's no mobile signal on any network. Download offline maps and carry a satellite device for remote driving.
How much data do I need for a New Zealand road trip?
About 10 GB for two weeks covers maps, bookings and messaging. Download routes on wifi each morning, since some of the most scenic roads have no signal.
Is there mobile signal on the Milford Road?
Very little. There's signal in Te Anau and around the Milford Sound wharf, and long gaps in between. Plan the drive offline.
Do I need an Australian SIM card for Uber?
No. Uber accepts international numbers in Australia. Set up your account at home so verification texts arrive on your home SIM.
Is there 5G in Australia?
Yes, in cities and many regional centres. Cabin Mode's Australia plans support 5G where the partner network has it. Most New Zealand plans currently use 3G and 4G.