If you’re looking to buy a smartphone, game console, or smart TV for a great deal, your best bet may be to travel to Kuwait. The country was ranked the cheapest place in the world to buy technology by Latin American e-commerce company Linio in their 2016 technology price index. To calculate the least (and most) expensive countries, Linio looked at the average retail price (including taxes) of 14 popular devices in 71 countries. It also studied several brick-and-mortar stores and at least three websites per country. The list was then ranked by the sum of the total tech price for each country.
It should come as no surprise that taxes and inflation hugely influence pricing. Four of the 10 least expensive countries are in the Middle East. This is because the high costs of living are offset by low value-added tax (VAT) on consumer products. An Android phone, for example, will cost an average of $539.18 in Kuwait. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s economic crisis (inflation is forecast to reach 1,500% in 2017) makes the country the most expensive place to buy technology. The same Android phone that you can buy for $539.18 in Kuwait will cost $78,054.19 in Venezuela.
Linio’s study was revealed on December 14th and currency conversions were correct as of December 1st . You can view the complete list of devices and their average prices in each country here.
Without further ado, here are the 10 least expensive countries to buy technology…
1. Kuwait
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Malaysia
4. Canada
5. United Arab Emirates
6. Qatar
7. Japan
8. United States
9. Australia
10. Poland
…and the most expensive.
1. Venezuela
2. Angola
3. Brunei
4. Brazil
5. Guatemala
6. Singapore
7. Croatia
8. Indonesia
9. Bangladesh
10. Philippines
Source: CNBC
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