The new iPhone 18 Pro costs noticeably more in Kazakhstan at launch than in the US. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how the price of the iPhone has changed over the past five years. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Price comparison between the US and Kazakhstan
According to EnergyProm, the iPhone 18 Pro with 256 GB of storage costs $1199 in the US. At the September exchange rate, this is about 539,000 tenge. In Kazakhstan, the smartphone costs 850,000 tenge — 57.7% more. This is the largest gap in the last five generations.
"In September last year, the iPhone 17 Pro with the same storage capacity again cost $1099 in the US, or 594,300 tenge at the exchange rate, while in Kazakhstan it was 860,000 tenge. The difference was 44.7%," analysts noted.
The smartphone has become more affordable relative to the average salary
However, relative to the average salary, the smartphone has become more affordable. In 2022, an iPhone 14 Pro required about 2.6 average monthly salaries. In 2025 — about two, and in 2026 — approximately 1.7 salaries. Recall that, according to the Bureau of National Statistics, the average nominal wage in Kazakhstan is 486,388 tenge.
"During this time, wages grew by 62.2%, while the cost of the new iPhone Pro increased from 770,000 to 850,000 tenge, that is, by 10.4%," EnergyProm writes.
Calculation specifics
At the same time, the calculations use accrued wages before the deduction of taxes and mandatory payments. Therefore, a much larger share of take-home pay will be required for the smartphone.
Recall that the iPhone 18 lineup went on sale in Kazakhstan on September 25. Kursiv LifeStyle found out how much can be saved through the trade-in program.