How many workdays does it take to buy Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro? The answer says a lot about global income gaps. A fresh snapshot from World of Statistics uses the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro (256 GB) as a benchmark to estimate how many 8-hour workdays are needed to afford the device at a country’s average hourly wage.
At the top of the affordability chart, buyers in Luxembourg and Switzerland need just 3 workdays, or 24 hours, to cover the cost. In the United States, the figure rises to 4 workdays, or 32 hours. Several other high-income countries cluster between 4 and 5 days, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Australia, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Germany, and Canada. France comes in at roughly 6 days.
Across most G20 economies, the iPhone Affordability Index stays under 50 workdays. The standout exception is India, where the same phone equates to 160 workdays, or 1,280 hours of labor. The disparity becomes clearer when you look at wages: India’s median monthly salary is about 27,300 INR (roughly $310). Assuming four standard 40-hour work weeks, that’s an hourly wage near 171 INR, or around $2—making a $1,099 purchase a much steeper climb.
Apple has long adapted its lineup for price-sensitive markets with more affordable models, such as the iPhone 16e, to lower the barrier to entry. Even so, premium pricing remains a challenge where wages are lower. As of the second quarter of 2025, Apple ranked sixth in India, with overall smartphone shipments across all manufacturers reaching 39 million units for the quarter, up 7 percent year over year.
What the index underscores is simple: the same flagship phone can represent a day’s work in one country and months of savings in another. For consumers, it’s a reality check on purchasing power. For brands, it’s a reminder that pricing, local wages, and tailored product strategies can shape market share just as much as the latest features.
