Cheapest Countries in Asia For Apple Products

By Hongkiat Lim. in Gadgets. Updated on October 25, 2023.

We all know that the official prices of Apple products are pretty much fixed; they are as accurate as announced or whatever you see on the official Apple.com page. But did you know that, even if that’s the case, you can still purchase Apple products (iPad, iPhone, or even the Mac, for example) at a better bargain price depending on the country you visit?

Well, yes, you can.

In this post, we aim to show you the common Apple products and their prices in various countries in Asia. We’ll also compare to see if they are cheaper and, if so, by how much.

Can Apple Products Really Be Cheaper?

Short answer: Yes. But it depends greatly on what you are purchasing, the local currency exchange rate with the USD, and the amount of tax return you receive as a tourist.

Take the MacBook Air 13″ M1 as an example. Its official listed price is USD $999. Now, if you were to buy it in Thailand, for instance, it would cost you ฿34,900. If you convert that back to USD, it amounts to USD $961. As you can see, it’s already slightly cheaper.

Additionally, there’s the tax refund for tourists. In Thailand’s case, it’s 7%. So, with all these factors taken into consideration, the MacBook Air 13″ M1, originally priced at USD $999, can be as low as ฿32,457, or $894, giving you a potential discount of roughly 10%.

How Do We Compare?

Before we present you with all the tables, numbers, and comparisons, here’s an explanation of the factors we considered during the comparison.

First, we take the official price of the products from Apple.com, which is in USD, and compare it to the official price of the product in its local currency. Using the latest currency exchange rates, we then identify the differences. From this, you’ll already get an idea if you can secure a better deal based solely on the currency exchange rate.

Next, we factor in the tax rebate you might receive as a tourist and calculate the final price you would be paying. We also determine the percentage of savings/discount, assuming the product is indeed cheaper.

Currency Exchange Rates:

The exchange rate (in comparison to USD) is taken from Google Finance and is automatically updated every 20 minutes.

Where to Buy Apple Products in Asia?

Here’s a list of Apple products we are comparing against various places and countries in Asia, including Australia and New Zealand.

🇸🇬 Singapore	🇲🇾 Malaysia	🇹🇭 Thailand	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	🇹🇼 Taiwan
🇨🇳 China	🇯🇵 Japan	🇰🇷 South Korea	🇦🇺 Australia	🇳🇿 New Zealand

And here’s a brief explanation of what each column in the tables below represent:

Apple Product
Apple.com: The official price of the product from Apple.com or Apple.com/us/, in USD.
Local: The official price of the product from its respective official Apple website of the country.
Local to USD: The official local price, converted to USD using the latest currency exchange rate.
Net: The price of the product after deducting the tax rebate. (if applicable).
Net (USD): The final price, converted back to USD using the latest currency exchange rate.
Saved: The percentage you can potentially save (if any).

All prices of Apple products listed in this post are derived from Apple.com or the official Apple website of their respective countries; the tax rebate numbers and related information are sourced from the respective countries’ government websites and are cited below.