Why is the iPhone so much more expensive in Ireland?

In news which will come as little surprise to anyone, the Republic is among the most expensive countries in the EU in which to buy an iPhone with the handset only costing more in Bulgaria, Spain, and Austria.

According to a recent survey of consumer technology prices across the world by South American online retailer Linio, the average price of an iPhone in the Republic is €632. This compares to an average price of just €450 in Finland and €513 in the UK, the countries which finished at the top of the EU phone price league.

In pure cash terms Angola was the cheapest country in the world in which to buy a new iPhone with the price put at €380. However with the average monthly wage in the sub-Saharan country not much more than €100, the handset would be prohibitively expensive for all but the most well off there.

The news appears to be a whole lot better - in relative terms - in Japan where the average cost of an iPhone was said to be €394.

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Spare a thought for the Venezuelans. As a result of punishing inflation and a very short supply of handsets due to government restrictions, supply is rare and outlandishly priced as a result. According to the survey a new iPhone 7 costs more than 500,000 bolivars which works out at in excess of $90,000.

For 71 countries, the company researched average prices of popular devices, “Doing so, we quickly realised the huge influence of tariffs, taxes, and inflation on price, a company spokesman said.

“The cheapest countries for buying tech were those in the Middle East that, despite relatively high costs of living, levy low VAT on consumer products. On the other end of the scale, the most expensive countries for electronics were those like Belarus and Venezuela, where inflation and import restrictions have taken a huge toll on consumer access to the market.