Apple iPhone 17 Pro costs 3 to 160 workdays: iPhone Affordability Index reveals global divide

Tenscope has updated its iPhone Affordability Index using the recently released iPhone 17 Pro as a benchmark. This index offers a glimpse into global wealth inequality and income disparity. For instance, the average person in the US only needs four days of work to earn an iPhone 17 Pro (256 GB).

By contrast, Apple’s latest flagship is worth around 160 workdays (based on an 8-hour day) in India, equivalent to 32 weeks, or 8 months, of work when converted to a 5-day workweek. It is also highly inaccessible in countries such as the Philippines (101 days), Vietnam (99 days), and Turkey (89 days). The iPhone 17 Pro is most affordable for those living in Switzerland and Luxembourg – an average worker in these high-income countries only needs about three days' salary to purchase the device.

It’s worth noting that Tenscope used the official US retail price of $1,099 as the basis for comparison, even though the phone’s pricing may vary by region. Furthermore, the index is calculated based on gross income in some cases. For example, whilst the average gross income in Germany is roughly €4,700 ($5,533), the take-home pay is typically much lower at €2,950 ($3,473), meaning the iPhone 17 Pro realistically costs almost two weeks of salary in the country. The data presented in the iPhone Affordability Index should thus only be viewed as a general guide.