Turkey is the world’s most expensive market for Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro, with the 256 GB model selling for $2,592, about 2.2 times the US price, according to Deutsche Bank Research Institute’s 2026 global price survey.
The finding points to the burden Turkish consumers face when buying imported technology after years of high inflation, lira depreciation and taxes on electronics.
Apple’s Turkey store lists the 6.3 inch iPhone 17 Pro with 256 GB of storage at 119,999 Turkish lira. The 6.9 inch Pro Max version with the same storage is listed at 132,999 lira.
The cheaper of the two models costs about 4.3 months of Turkey’s net minimum wage, which was set at 28,075.50 lira for 2026 by the Labor and Social Security Ministry.
Turkey applies a special consumption tax on mobile phones, with rates of 25 percent, 40 percent or 50 percent depending on the tax base. Phones with a tax base above 9,000 lira fall into the top 50 percent bracket, according to the current structure.
The tax burden does not end there. Turkey’s standard value added tax rate is 20 percent, while mobile phones also carry a 12 percent TRT fee, a charge linked to the state broadcaster.
Buying a phone abroad is not a simple way around the price gap. Turkey’s 2026 IMEI registration fee for phones brought from abroad is 54,258 lira, about $1,263, and unregistered phones may be used in the country for only 120 days.
Inflation has also eroded purchasing power. Consumer prices rose 32.11 percent in June from a year earlier, according to figures announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute. Annual inflation has stayed above 30 percent since late 2021 and peaked at 75.45 percent in May 2024.
The lira traded at about 47 to the dollar on July 15 and was down 16.85 percent over the previous 12 months, adding pressure to the price of goods tied to foreign currency.
Deutsche Bank’s report also found that İstanbul’s average monthly net salary was $1,173 in 2026, meaning the iPhone price cited in the survey amounts to more than two months of average take-home pay in the city.