Apple has just released its latest iPhone, the iPhone 16e, which is being marketed as an “affordable yet powerful” addition to their popular lineup. However, for many people in Turkey, the price of this new phone remains far out of reach. This situation highlights Turkey’s status as the nation where Apple products are the most expensive in the world.
In the United States, the starting price for the 128GB model is around $599. In contrast, Turkish customers have to pay a staggering ₺47,999, which is roughly $1,321. This amount is more than double the minimum monthly wage in Turkey, which is set at ₺22,104. To put it into perspective, a worker earning the minimum wage would need to save for more than two full months without spending anything on food, housing, or other basic needs just to buy this initial model.
A detailed analysis by Nukeni shows that Turkey holds the title for the highest prices for new devices, regardless of the storage option selected. As the storage capacity increases, so does the price. The 256GB version costs ₺52,999 ($1,458), while the 512GB version can reach ₺62,999 ($1,733). Following Turkey, Brazil and countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are among the others with high iPhone prices.
The situation gets worse for Turkish citizens who try to buy this phone abroad to avoid the inflated local prices. For instance, if someone buys the base model iPhone 16e in the U.S. for $600, they would still need to pay an additional fee of ₺45,614 ($1,303) to register the phone through Turkey’s IMEI system. This means that the total cost would rise to approximately ₺66,614 ($1,903), which is over three times the minimum monthly wage.
This registration fee is necessary for all imported phones to operate on Turkish mobile networks and has been increasing sharply in recent years. For example, the fee was just ₺1,838.7 in 2020 but has climbed steadily to its current level of ₺45,614 in 2025. This represents an astonishing increase of nearly 2,400% over five years.
Despite Apple marketing the iPhone 16e as a product with premium features at a lower price point, the reality for many Turkish consumers is drastically different. The phone includes advanced technology, such as the A18 chip, a 48MP Fusion camera, and a sleek design, but these features come at a steep cost that most people find hard to justify.
In terms of comparative pricing, the cost of the iPhone 16e in Turkey is noticeably higher than in the United States. For instance, while U.S. customers pay $599, $699, and $899 for the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB versions, Turkish buyers face prices equivalent to $1,517, $1,455, and $1,729. This amounts to significant markups of 153%, 108%, and 92%, making the “affordable” iPhone far from accessible for most consumers in Turkey.
Overall, the high prices reveal a stark divide between global technology pricing strategies and local economic realities, making it clear that many Turkish consumers will find it extremely challenging to own Apple’s popular yet expensive new smartphone.