International Call Cost Calculator

International calling cost depends mainly on the per-minute rate to the destination and whether you call over a standard carrier, a VoIP app, or a calling card. Rates vary enormously by provider and destination.

Basic cost formula: Call Cost = Duration in Minutes × Per-Minute Rate

This calculator compares the three common ways to place the call at typical rates for each region:

• Standard carrier: the phone company’s international rate, usually the most expensive.
• Calling card: a prepaid card, much cheaper per minute.
• VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol (Skype, Google Voice, WhatsApp Out). Calls to other app users are free; calls to a regular phone are billed at the lowest rates shown here.

Where:

• Duration: most carriers bill in whole minutes and round partial minutes up; some VoIP services bill per second.
• Per-minute rate: varies by destination, from about $0.02/min (Canada from the US) to $0.65+/min (parts of Africa).

Reference: typical per-minute rates used here (2024 estimates):

These are estimates for comparison. Check your own carrier and app for the exact current rates.

Worked example: A 45-minute call to India:

• Standard carrier at $0.25/min: 45 × $0.25 = $11.25
• Calling card at $0.02/min: 45 × $0.02 = $0.90
• VoIP at $0.015/min: 45 × $0.015 = $0.68

Over a month of weekly 45-minute calls, the standard carrier runs about $49 while VoIP costs under $3. For regular international calls, a VoIP app is almost always the cheapest option.