In Australia we like to whinge about the cost of smartphones because of the ‘Australia tax’, but how do we rank compared to other countries? A new study comparing the costs of goods and services around the world includes a ranking of what you’ll pay to buy an iPhone 6 outright.
Picture: Getty Images
We noted when the iPhone 6 launched that there was an Australian premium of around $100 applied to most models relative to the US. That gap increased when Apple jacked up the prices in March.
Deutsche Bank’s Mapping The World’s Prices 2015 includes a comparison of current prices for the iPhone 6 16GB model, relative to the US price. This table shows the cost in US dollars for that model in 20 countries, and the percentage of the US dollar price that represents:
| Country | $US price | % of US price |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | $1254.00 | 193% |
| Russia | $932.40 | 143% |
| China | $862.40 | 133% |
| Indonesia | $863.90 | 133% |
| India | $853.30 | 131% |
| South Africa | $818.30 | 126% |
| New Zealand | $812.10 | 125% |
| Philippines | $802.90 | 124% |
| United Kingdom | $799.50 | 123% |
| Mexico | $787.30 | 121% |
| Switzerland | $787.00 | 121% |
| Australia | $768.10 | 118% |
| France | $769.30 | 118% |
| Germany | $758.40 | 117% |
| Japan | $725.60 | 112% |
| Hong Kong | $720.60 | 111% |
| Singapore | $718.90 | 111% |
| Malaysia | $686.30 | 106% |
| Canada | $663.50 | 102% |
| United States | $650.00 | 100% |
On this measure, we’re paying a premium in Australia for the iPhone 6, but nowhere near as much as some other countries.
The Deutsche Bank study also compares the cost of numerous other services and products, from Big Macs to weekends away. As usual, we’d advise caution when interpreting this to mean that Australia is “the most expensive place in the world” (though you’ll find that headline everywhere). Those numbers don’t take any account of relative incomes and taxation levels, and if you chose a currency other than the US dollar as the basis of the comparison, the outcomes could be very different.
[via SMH]
Comments
11 responses to “How Much Does The iPhone 6 Cost Across The World?”
As best i can tell that doesn’t include sales tax on the US price so its probably closer to $700, which makes the price difference a little less for us anyway, not sure about other countries tax inclusion status.
You are correct, in most states you’re looking at about 6-8% on top of that $650, making it about a $700 iPhone.. Same with Canada..
Wow. Brazil. That sucks.
Yup. High import taxes. I think the PS4 had a 60% import tax from memory.
Even the briefest of checks of available flights shows it’s cheaper for a Brazilian to fly to the US, buy an iPhone and get the next flight home. That’s some big taxation.
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Don’t limit your complaints to Apple, the Samsung Galaxy S6 costs more than my iPhone 6 64gig did.
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Never stopped anyone before
i found your comment useful and relevant.
Not really mark up. Us price is without sales tax, then add gst of 10% it’s 715,then add extra mark up to cover the extra cost of operating in Australia. Looks to me profits would be about the same amount.
And usually I’m the first to attack apple. =P