So, like, the folks over at Picodi Malaysia did this totally wild thing. They took the local iPhone 15 Pro (128 GB) prices and mashed them up with the average earnings. Then they came up with something called the iPhone Index, which is basically the price of the iPhone but in, get this, man-days!
iPhone Index 2023
So, in Malaysia, the basic version of the big shot iPhone 15 Pro (128 GB) goes for RM 5,499 (that’s RM 200 more than last year, folks). But wait, that’s not even the final price ’cause you gotta add sales tax on top of that. In the US, you only get that price in four states. In all the other states, they pile on the state and local sales tax, which can go up to a whopping 9.55%! In Malaysia, they got this thing called the goods and services tax, which is 5%.
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty. According to the latest Numbeo data, the average wage in Malaysia is RM 3,764.03 a month after taxes. So, if you squirrel away every single penny you make, it would take you about 30.7 man-days to snag that iPhone 15 Pro. And just to throw you for a loop, that’s 1.5 more man-days than last year!
Here’s the rollercoaster ride the iPhone Index has taken in Malaysia over the last six years:
- 2018 – 41.3 days
- 2019 – 30.1 days
- 2020 – 29.1 days
- 2021 – 30.3 days
- 2022 – 29.2 days
- 2023 – 30.7 days
But hey, Switzerland’s living the high life with an average Swiss person only needing 4.2 man-days to treat themselves to the latest iPhone. The average American needs 5.3 days, and Aussies are chillin’ with 6.3 days.
Now, let’s talk about the real shockers. Türkiye takes the cake as the worst in our ranking – a jaw-dropping 123.7 days of hard work for an iPhone. The next country in line is the Philippines and Brazil with 79.5 and 66.6 man-days respectively.
In conclusion, you have to save each and every penny of your salary to buy the iPhone 15 Pro if you are in Malaysia. Is it really worth saving that much for an iPhone? Share your comments below.
