The Honest Cost Comparison

Local SIMs in Thailand are cheap. At the time of writing, AIS and TrueMove tourist SIM packages at the airport typically offer between 20-50GB of data for £6-10 for 30 days. That price includes a generous data allowance that covers most families comfortably for a week or two.

Airalo’s Thailand-specific eSIM plans start at around £6.50 for 5GB of data and up to £22 for 50GB of data for 30 days. You’re paying more for less data, in most cases, compared to a local SIM bought on arrival.

The price gap is real and worth knowing before you decide. If cost is your primary driver, buy a local SIM at the airport and skip the rest of this section.

If convenience is worth something to you – and depending on your circumstances it genuinely might be – read on.

Getting a Local SIM in Thailand

Both Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK) have official network counters in the arrivals hall. AIS, DTAC, and TrueMove all have staffed desks. The process is straightforward: show your passport, choose a plan, pay in cash or by card, and you’re set up in a few minutes.

The main networks all offer tourist-specific packages that are clearly labelled, priced in Thai Baht, and explained in English. You don’t need to read Thai or navigate the local market to manage this. We went with AIS due to it’s popularity amongst other travelling families, plus it’s very wide availability across the country, paying approximately £7 each for 50GB of data for 30 days. This included the SIM card as an additional cost so any future top ups on the same plans will be slightly less.

Outside the airports, SIMs are available at 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and most mobile phone shops, which are abundant in any Thai town or city. If you’re arriving somewhere other than Bangkok or crossing a land border, local SIMs are easy to find across the country.

One practical note for families: if you and your partner both need data on separate phones, you’ll need two SIMs. That’s still almost certainly cheaper than two eSIM plans, but worth factoring in when you’re comparing costs. You’ll also need your passport with you when buying a local SIM.

Using an eSIM for Thailand

Airalo is the most established eSIM marketplace for Thailand and the one we’ve used ourselves. You browse plans by country, purchase before you leave, and the eSIM is delivered to your phone digitally – nothing to collect, no counter to find on arrival.

Airalo offers both Thailand-specific plans and regional plans covering multiple Southeast Asian countries. If you’re moving between Thailand and neighbouring countries on the same trip, a regional plan can be more practical than buying separately for each destination – though again, compare the cost against buying local SIMs individually in each country before assuming the regional plan is worth it.

Setup is done in your phone settings before departure. Once you land and the eSIM activates, you have data immediately. That’s the whole value proposition.

For families specifically, there’s a secondary benefit worth mentioning: if you’re arriving late at night with tired children and you just want to get to your accommodation without friction, having data already working removes one thing from the list.

eSIM Compatibility: Check Before You Fly

Not all phones support eSIM. Before purchasing one, confirm your specific handset is compatible. Most phones released in the last three or four years from major manufacturers – Apple, Samsung, Google – support eSIM, but older devices, some budget Android handsets, and certain models sold in specific markets do not.

The quickest way to check: search your phone model plus “eSIM compatible”, or look in your phone settings for an “Add eSIM” or “Add Mobile Plan” option under network settings.

If you’re travelling as a family with multiple devices, check each one separately. It’s common for one phone to support eSIM and another not to. In that case, a hybrid approach – eSIM on one device, local SIM on the other – is perfectly workable.

eSIM vs Local SIM: Comparison

Who Should Use an eSIM

An eSIM makes the most sense if one or more of the following applies to you.

You’re arriving at an unfamiliar airport for the first time and want data working immediately, without the cognitive load of finding the right counter with tired children in tow. You’re arriving late at night when airport SIM counters may be closed or lightly staffed. You’re on a short trip of a week or less, where the cost difference between an eSIM and a local SIM is marginal against your overall spend. You’re moving between multiple Southeast Asian countries quickly and want a single regional plan rather than buying local SIMs in each country. Or you want an eSIM purely as a bridge – a day or two of connectivity while you settle in, after which you pick up a local SIM and switch over.

If any of these fit, Airalo’s Thailand plans are here. Plans can be purchased and installed before you fly.

Who Should Get a Local SIM

A local SIM is the right call if cost is your priority, or if you’re comfortable navigating the airport on arrival. The AIS and TrueMove counters at both Bangkok airports are easy to find, well-staffed, and the process takes under ten minutes. It’s not an ordeal.

For families staying a week or longer, the cost difference between an eSIM and a local SIM is meaningful enough to be worth the small inconvenience of queuing at a counter. Over a two-week trip, the saving could comfortably cover a meal out.

If you’ve been to Thailand before and you know the airports, there’s no reason to pay the eSIM premium. Go straight to the SIM counter.

What We Actually Do

Our default across Southeast Asia has been to buy a local SIM on arrival. The combination of better data allowances and lower cost makes it the right choice for us the majority of the time.

The exception is arriving somewhere new, without a confident plan for where to get a SIM, especially with the children. In places we know well – we’ve been to Kuala Lumpur multiple times – we go straight to a local SIM because we know exactly where to pick one up and we trust the process. In new destinations, the eSIM buys us time and removes uncertainty at the most stressful point of any trip. For example, when we arrived in Georgia on our first leg of this adventure we were taking no chances and went with the eSIM for peace of mind and one less stressful event to deal with. 

If you want the convenience of data from the moment you land, Airalo is what we use when we go that route. If you’re happy sorting a SIM on arrival and want to keep costs down, head to the AIS or TrueMove counter in arrivals and you’ll be sorted within minutes.

For a broader look at connectivity options across the region, see our guide to the best eSIMs for Southeast Asia. If you want to dig into the cost comparison in more detail, our eSIM vs local SIM piece covers the numbers across multiple countries. And if you’re still figuring out your overall connectivity approach before leaving the UK, our guide on how to avoid roaming charges while travelling abroad is the place to start.