Daily vs Monthly Data Bundle Calculator
A small daily price can add up. Enter two bundles and the days you need data: both paths will fulfil the same demand, buying extra bundles when an allowance runs out or expires.
Use quoted prices including VAT and only data usable for the same purpose. These are your figures, not a live provider-price feed. Inputs stay in this browser and are not sent to DataCost.
Compare your two bundles
Cost for the same demand
Enter all prices, allowances and usage to calculate. Zero usage is allowed; bundle allowances must be positive.
How the calculation works
On each active day, both paths use exactly the daily demand you entered. The daily path buys enough whole one-day bundles for that day. Unused daily data expires before the next day. With 0.5GB daily usage and a 1GB bundle, one purchase is needed each active day; with 1.5GB usage, two purchases are needed. This prevents a smaller allowance from looking cheaper simply because it delivers less data.
The longer-validity path uses its unexpired balance first, then buys enough whole bundles to cover any shortfall. Each new purchase keeps its own expiry date. Buying more does not extend an older balance. A bundle bought on day 1 with 30-day validity is usable through day 30 and expires before day 31. Purchases are made only when needed; a quiet day does not trigger an automatic renewal.
Total cost is the number of purchases multiplied by the price rounded to cents. Cost per GB used divides this total by the demand actually fulfilled, rather than by all data bought. GB calculations use three decimal places. If no data is used, both paths cost R0 and cost per GB is undefined. The unused figure includes both expired allowances and data remaining beyond your comparison period.
This is a fixed-day model, not an operator billing forecast. It assumes each active day’s usage fits inside the relevant daily window and both products permit the repeat purchases you confirmed. A calendar-month contract, midnight expiry, hourly product, automatic renewal, rollover extension or personalised offer may follow different rules. Do not enter night-only or app-only data as unrestricted data unless your whole demand fits that restriction.
There is no allowance for coverage differences, activation fees, credit-account interest, future price increases, refunds or bundles you already own. Compare these separately. Check the final price, eligibility, usable allocation, expiry time, purchase limits and debit arrangements in the provider’s current checkout and terms before buying. The tool helps compare two entered options; it does not identify the cheapest offer in South Africa.
The example is deliberately hypothetical: over 30 daily-use days, 0.5GB per day needs 15GB. At R10 for a 1GB daily bundle, the daily path makes 30 purchases costing R300. At R100 for 10GB with 30-day validity, the longer path makes two purchases costing R200. Both fulfil 15GB. Different usage days, allowances and prices can reverse that result.
Method and calculator checked 12 October 2026. No operator-price snapshot is attached to the example.