In my experience, a US travel eSIM is usually cheaper than international roaming from an Australian provider, especially if I’m away for more than a few days or I use a lot of data. Roaming packs can be convenient, but they often charge a daily rate that adds up fast, and they can come with speed limits or smaller data allowances than you expect. I once did the math mid-trip in New York and realised I was paying “convenience tax” just because I hadn’t sorted a better option before leaving.
What I do now is compare total trip cost rather than daily cost. I ask myself: How many days am I travelling? How much data will I realistically use with maps, rideshare, social media, and random browsing? If roaming is, say, a daily fee, I multiply it by my travel days and then compare that to a fixed eSIM plan. The longer the trip, the more the eSIM tends to win. Another hidden cost is stress: if roaming data is tight, I end up hunting Wi-Fi instead of enjoying the trip.
I also consider flexibility. With a travel eSIM, I can often pick a data amount that matches my habits. With roaming, I’m stuck with whatever bundle my provider offers. The only time roaming wins for me is a super short stopover where I don’t want to change anything.
During my investigation, I found https://www.prepaidsims.com.au/collections/united-states-esimto be particularly useful.
Anyway, I still keep roaming enabled for emergencies on my Aussie SIM, but I avoid using it as my main data source in the US.