How Much Is an iPhone 12 Across The World?
How much are you paying your iPhone home compared to other countries around the world? Let's find out!
Good to know
This map displays the average price in British Pounds (national VAT rates included) in 38 representative countries for an iPhone 12 (256GB) as of January 2021. It is made upon data provided by the Mac Index website, whose rankings are filled in with Apple website metadatas.
Why do we do a world iPhone price index?
Since the first iPhone was launched in 2007, it has become one of the most purchased products throughout the world. Even if the competition on the smartphones market is getting always stronger, the iPhone price remains in 2021 a very reliable indicator for what concerns the cost of tech products in the different parts of the world.
Top 3 countries where the iPhone 12 is the most expansive
South Africa
£1,378
Brazil
£1,354
Turkey
£1,233
The top 3 countries where the iPhone 12 is the cheapest
United States
£765
Japan
£796
United Arab Emirates
£808
The world iPhone 12 price index ranking
| Rank | Countries | Price (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 765 |
| 2 | Japan | 796 |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | 808 |
| 4 | Malaysia | 838 |
| 5 | Singapore | 853 |
| 6 | Canada | 873 |
| 7 | South Korea | 875 |
| 8 | Thailand | 879 |
| 9 | Switzerland | 883 |
| 10 | Philippines | 897 |
| 11 | Australia | 905 |
| 12 | Russia | 934 |
| 13 | Luxembourg | 938 |
| 14 | United Kingdom | 949 |
| 15 | New Zealand | 952 |
| 16 | India | 952 |
| 17 | Germany | 961 |
| 18 | Austria | 961 |
| 19 | France | 970 |
| 20 | Spain | 970 |
| 21 | Belgium | 970 |
| 22 | Ireland | 972 |
| 23 | Netherlands | 973 |
| 24 | China | 974 |
| 25 | Poland | 976 |
| 26 | Sri Lanka | 981 |
| 27 | Portugal | 988 |
| 28 | Finland | 988 |
| 29 | Mexico | 994 |
| 30 | Italy | 997 |
| 31 | Denmark | 1,015 |
| 32 | Czech Republic | 1,017 |
| 33 | Hungary | 1,028 |
| 34 | Norway | 1,030 |
| 35 | Sweden | 1,074 |
| 36 | Turkey | 1,233 |
| 37 | Brazil | 1,354 |
| 38 | South Africa | 1,378 |
Is it interesting for Europeans to buy an iPhone in the US?
If you take the numbers strictly as we put them on the map, a Swedish costumer has to pay £309 more than an American to purchase an iPhone 12 (256GB) - which is a lot. But things are not totally the way they seem to be. First of all, one has to bear in mind that in Europe, all the countries include a national VAT in their prices. In the US, this is different, for every State has its own sales tax rate - which is therefore not reported on the displayed price. For example, this tax is 8,875% in New York City, that you will have to add to the original price.
However, if you really wish to purchase your iPhone into the US, you basically have two options:
- You travel to the US, and take back your iPhone home. In that case, you may be refunded at the airport of the sales tax of the State in which you bought your phone. However, you have to take into account the price of your ticket, as well as a possible VAT that you will hay to pay upon arrival into Europe (20% in the UK for example)
- You buy your iPhone on the internet, and ship it home through a transport company such as DHL or UPS. In that case, you have to consider the shipping costs - that can be high, but also the VAT that is likely to be collected by the customs of your country (just like when you travel yourself with your device).
As you see, defining if buying an iPhone in the US for a European customer is interesting is a tricky calculation. In the end, the benefit is not so obvious as it may seem at first considering the numbers.
