How much data do you need in Egypt?

How much data do you actually need for your trip to Egypt? Whether you’re working through the pyramids at Giza and the temples of Luxor, visiting family in Cairo, or diving for a week off Hurghada, your data use comes down mostly to maps, WhatsApp and sharing photos. Egypt falls outside the EU roaming zone, so your Belgian or Dutch bundle doesn’t apply automatically and you fall back on out-of-bundle rates with no EU price caps. With a local eSIM plan you know where you stand before you go. So which plan suits your trip? Work it out below, by traveller type.

What do popular apps actually use?

Not every app publishes an official data-use figure. Netflix and Spotify do — the table below uses only figures these companies publish themselves. The Spotify MB-per-hour figures are our own calculation from Spotify’s official bitrates.

App Setting Data use (official)
Netflix — mobile app Automatic about 4 hours per GB
Save Data about 6 hours per GB
Wi-Fi Only no cellular data
Maximum Data can use 1 GB per 20 minutes, or more
Netflix — in browser Low up to 0.3 GB per hour
Medium up to 0.7 GB per hour
High up to 1 GB/h (SD), up to 3 GB/h (HD), up to 7 GB/h (4K)
Spotify Low (24 kbit/s) ≈ 11 MB per hour
Normal (96 kbit/s) ≈ 43 MB per hour
High (160 kbit/s) ≈ 72 MB per hour
Very High (320 kbit/s) ≈ 144 MB per hour

WhatsApp, Google Maps, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and plain browsing or email don’t publish a specific MB or GB figure themselves — any number you find elsewhere for these is a third party’s estimate, not the company’s own. What is official: WhatsApp has a setting to use less data on calls. Google Maps lets you download an area offline in advance, so navigating later doesn’t cost live data for the map itself. YouTube has a “Data saver” setting that lowers picture quality. For Instagram, TikTok, browsing and email there’s no comparable official figure or setting — plan a generous margin for those.

Four travel profiles: how much data do you need?

A week of sightseeing in Cairo and Giza

A week between the pyramids, the museum and the old city, with WhatsApp home and Maps to find your way? Your data use is usually light. WhatsApp doesn’t publish a figure for calls or video calls, so we deliberately give no exact number here — instead, turn on the data-saving setting for calls. Download the Cairo and Giza area offline in Google Maps before you go, at home over wifi, so navigating on the ground doesn’t cost live data for the map itself. Your Belgian or Dutch SIM stays active for calls, texts and banking codes; the eSIM is purely for data. Start small and top up later through the Ariya app.

Up the Nile from Luxor to Aswan

Following the temples between Luxor and Aswan, with long stretches between stops? Here too there’s no official MB figure for maps and social media, so we deliberately give no concrete number. More useful: download your route, your tickets and your booking confirmations offline before you set out, because away from the cities and the main roads signal can disappear. Turn on your apps’ data-saving settings where available, and choose a plan with enough validity to cover the whole trip.

A week on the Red Sea, with music

A week in Hurghada, listening to Spotify on the way, say two hours a day on “Normal” quality (96 kbit/s)? Over a week that’s roughly 14 hours × 43 MB per hour ≈ 0.6 GB — for music alone. Add some WhatsApp and the occasional Maps use, and a plan of around 1 GB for a week is a comfortable guideline. Playlists you download at home in advance cost nothing on the road.

A month’s stay, with daily Netflix and music

Staying a month and watching about an hour of Netflix a day on “Automatic” (about 4 hours per GB)? That’s 30 hours ÷ 4 hours per GB ≈ 7.5 GB for the month. Add an hour a day of Spotify on “Normal” quality, and that adds roughly 1.3 GB (30 hours × 43 MB per hour). Together that’s about 8.8 GB for Netflix and Spotify — a calculation, not an exact measurement. Add WhatsApp calls with family back home (not quantifiable), and it’s sensible to round up: plan for around 10 GB for a month with daily streaming.

Which data plan fits you?

The four profiles above are a guideline, not a guarantee — your own usage can vary. In short: WhatsApp and maps need little data, a week of music around 0.6 to 1 GB, and a month with daily Netflix and music around 10 GB. Current plans are shown on this site’s homepage; pick the plan closest to your profile, and top up through the Ariya app if needed.

Want to know how to install your eSIM, or read more about network coverage in Egypt? See the installation guide or the page on coverage and networks.

Sources

Guides and details