Where is the iPhone 17 Pro most expensive? How Europe compares
The cost of owning the latest iPhone 17 Pro varies significantly depending on where you reside. Recent data from the 2026 Mapping the World’s Prices report shows that European consumers are facing a growing price divide compared to the United States. While US markets maintain a baseline, European nations populate the higher end of the global cost index.
Turkey stands out as the most expensive market among the 41 countries surveyed. Consumers there pay more than double the US price, largely driven by specific consumption taxes and currency factors. Even when individuals attempt to bypass local costs by purchasing abroad, registration fees within Turkey nearly match the original US purchase price of the device.
Within Europe, prices are not uniform. Switzerland offers the lowest price on the continent, benefiting from a comparatively low value-added tax of 8.1 percent. Conversely, Hungary represents one of the priciest markets in the region, partly due to a 27 percent VAT. Major European economies show narrower price differences, though the UK remains the most affordable among the continent's five largest economies.
Comparing current trends to the iPhone 7 era in 2017, the report finds that the price gap between the US and Europe has widened. Nominal costs have increased at a faster rate in European territories. This divergence is attributed to a combination of distribution costs, regional trade policies, and persistent currency fluctuations.
Beyond nominal price tags, the affordability gap remains stark when accounting for regional income levels. With significant disparities in average wages across countries like Turkey and Switzerland, the actual financial impact on the average consumer is pronounced. These variations illustrate how fiscal policy and taxation directly influence the final cost of consumer technology in the global market.

