In global price index Apple’s iPhone 5S is the most expensive in India

Apple launched the iPhone 5S in India for Rs 53,500, which was described by many as borderline crazy. But not until you compare the India price with other countries do you realize just how crazy this pricing is. A study conducted by MobileUnlocked (via Guardian) found that India is one of countries which pays a huge premium for the phone compared to say the US. The study compared the prices in 47 countries and took into consideration native currencies, native sales tax and also the average earnings of a person from that country. The results were quite startling. The device is cheapest in the US where it retails for $707.41, while it is the most expensive in Jordan ($ 1091.01). India comes somewhere in between with a price tag of $857.78.A separate study included the “purchasing power parity” (PPP) terms, wherein one compares the price of the product to the country’s GDP and an average person’s purchasing power. In this context, the iPhone 5S is the most expensive in India where the phone costs 22.3 percent of per capita GDP. It is followed by Vietnam and Jordan where the device costs 19.8 percent and 18.3 percent of per capita GDP respectively. Under such considerations, the iPhone 5S is the cheapest in Qatar, where it costs a mere 0.76 percent of per capita GDP.