How long does it take to earn enough to buy a new iPhone?
How long does it take to earn enough to buy a new iPhone? Given the differing income-expenditure gap from country to country, in some places if requires just a few days' salary, while in others it requires several months of hard-earned money.
We calculated how many days a person with an average income in different countries needs to work to buy a new iPhone 17 Pro (256 GB). Also, how many days a person with an average income in Bangladesh needs to work to buy a new iPhone.
For four countries
Here's a calculation for 34 countries, including Bangladesh. Let's start with four countries. To save time, instead of providing detailed information for 29 countries, only a list is given. Finally, read the detailed calculation for Bangladesh.
Luxembourg
Average monthly income: 6,966 euros (approx. 1,004,000 taka)
Average daily income (based on 22 days): approx. 317 euros (approx. 46,000 taka)
IPhone price: approx. 1,289 euros (approx. 185,000 taka)
Days to work: 4 days
United States
Average monthly income: 5,174 US dollars (630,000 taka)
Average daily income: approx. 235 US dollars (approx. 29,000 taka)
IPhone price: 1,099 US Dollars (approx. 134,000 taka)
Days to work: 5 days
Philippines
Average monthly income: 44,800 pesos (96,000 taka)
Average daily income: approx. 2,036 Philippine pesos (4,366 taka)
IPhone price: 79,990 pesos (171,000 taka)
Days to work: 39 days
India
Average monthly income: approx. 25,000 rupees (approx. 35,000 taka)
Average daily income: 1,136 rupees (1,575 taka)
IPhone price: 1, 34,900 rupees (1, 87,000 taka)
Days to work: 119 days
Calculation for 29 more countries
Switzerland: 3 days
Belgium: 4 days
Denmark: 4 days
Netherlands: 4 days
Norway: 4 days
Australia: 5 days
Austria: 5 days
Finland: 5 days
Ireland: 5 days
Germany: 5 days
Canada: 5 days
France: 6 days
Sweden: 6 days
United Kingdom: 7 days
New Zealand: 7 days
Singapore: 8 days
Italy: 8 days
United Arab Emirates: 8 days
Spain: 9 days
Czechoslovakia: 12 days
Poland: 17 days
Portugal: 24 days
Hungary: 27 days
Chile: 32 days
Malaysia: 45 days
Thailand: 61 days
Brazil: 77 days
Turkey: 89 days
Vietnam: 99 days
And now for Bangladesh
A average-income person in Bangladesh will need to earn for four months in order to buy a new iPhoneKabir Hossain
Average monthly income: 28,259 taka
Daily income (if 22 days are considered): 1,284 taka
IPhone price: 160,000 taka (potential price given as it is in the pre-order stage)
Days to work: 125 days
This means that to buy a new iPhone 17 Pro (256 GB) in Bangladesh, a person with an average income to work for more than four months.
Note: The calculations are based on average income. So, if someone's income is higher, the number of days will decrease, and if the income is lower, it will take even more days. The same applies to the number of working days in a month. However, the comparison makes it clear how easy or difficult it is to buy a new iPhone in different countries.
Sources: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Apple, Economic Times, World Bank, ssa.gov, World Data, Trading Economics, Fidelity, Desktrack, Pleroll, Techradar, GeeksforGeeks, bls.gov, public.lu, and Forbes
