The Workdays Needed to Buy an iPhone 18 in Colombia
A Colombian worker earning the 2026 minimum wage would need about 120 to 130 days of wages to buy an iPhone 18 Pro, based on current estimates of its sales price in the country. The iPhone 18 Pro Max would require about 137 to 154 days of wages.
That puts Colombia far from the most expensive countries in terms of the time needed to earn an iPhone, but the comparison depends on how wages and prices are calculated. Tenscope’s 2025 iPhone Affordability Index, for example, found that workers in Switzerland and Luxembourg needed about three workdays to afford an iPhone 17 Pro, while the figure reached 160 days in India.
How many days does a Colombian worker need?
Colombia’s 2026 minimum monthly wage is 1.75 million Colombian pesos (about US$484), equivalent to about 58,363 Colombian pesos (about US$16) per day when divided by 30. The calculation excludes the 249,095 Colombian pesos (about US$69) monthly transportation allowance, because that payment is intended to cover commuting costs rather than form part of the basic wage available for purchases.
Apple set the U.S. starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro at US$1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at US$1,299. Apple has not yet published an official Colombian retail price for either model.
Blu Radio estimates that the iPhone 18 Pro could cost between 7 million Colombian pesos (about US$1,934) and 7.6 million Colombian pesos (about US$2,100) in Colombia, while the Pro Max could range from 8 million Colombian pesos (about US$2,210) to 9 million Colombian pesos (about US$2,486). Those estimates depend on taxes, distribution costs, and the commercial strategy used by local sellers.
At 7 million Colombian pesos, a worker earning the minimum wage would need about 120 days of wages. At 7.6 million Colombian pesos, the figure rises to about 130 days.
The Pro Max would require about 137 days at 8 million Colombian pesos and 154 days at 9 million Colombian pesos.
These figures represent the amount of minimum-wage income required to equal the phone’s estimated price. They do not mean that a worker could realistically save the entire daily wage, since the calculation does not account for food, housing, transportation or other living expenses.
Switzerland needs days, India needs months
Tenscope’s 2025 iPhone Affordability Index provides a broader comparison using a different methodology. The index measures how many eight-hour workdays people need to earn the price of an iPhone 17 Pro 256 GB, using average wages rather than minimum wages.
Switzerland and Luxembourg ranked at about three workdays, while the United States required just under four. The global average was about 26 workdays.
The gap widened sharply in lower-income markets. India required about 160 workdays, followed by the Philippines at 101 days and Vietnam at 99 days. Turkey ranked at about 89 days.
The comparison should not be read as a direct ranking of minimum-wage purchasing power. Tenscope uses average monthly wages and working hours, whereas the Colombian calculation uses the statutory minimum wage. The two approaches measure different parts of the labor market.
Latin America shows a wide gap
Tenscope’s index includes two Latin American countries: Chile and Brazil. Chile required about 32 workdays to earn an iPhone 17 Pro, while Brazil required about 77 days.
The Brazilian figure is particularly useful for showing how the choice of wage measure affects the result. Brazil’s 2026 minimum wage is R$1,621 (about US$327), while the iPhone 18 Pro 256 GB now starts at R$11,999 (about US$2,420) in the country. The Pro Max starts at R$12,999 (about US$2,620).
For comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro launched in Brazil in 2025 at R$11,499 (about US$2,315). Tenscope’s 77-day figure, however, uses Brazil’s average wage rather than its statutory minimum, so it cannot be treated as the number of days required by a minimum-wage worker.
That distinction also applies to the international figures. A country can rank relatively well on an average-wage index while minimum-wage workers face a much heavier burden.
The Colombian price remains the key variable
The Colombian estimate remains provisional until Apple publishes an official local retail price. The final figure could differ from current estimates because of taxes, distributor margins and local pricing decisions.
Read the Colombian calculation as a measure of the phone’s cost relative to the country’s legal minimum wage, rather than as a literal measure of how long a worker would need to save for the device.
The international comparisons provide a broader measure of purchasing power, but they use average wages and therefore answer a different question.