Where is the iPhone cheapest in Europe?

Apple does not charge one European price. On October 9, 2026, the same 256 GB iPhone 17 cost €1,082 in Luxembourg and €1,149 in Finland, both in euros, both on Apple's own store. Outside the eurozone the spread is wider still. Here is the full table, then the catch.

The ranking

Prices are Apple's list prices for the base storage on each country's online store, VAT included, checked on October 9, 2026. Non-euro prices are converted at the European Central Bank reference rate of October 8, 2026. The US is shown for reference, before sales tax.

Luxembourg's odd-looking figures (€840.27 for the 17e, €1,430.10 for the 18 Pro) are exactly what Apple's Luxembourg store shows.

Why the order looks like this

The ranking follows VAT more than anything else. Luxembourg has the lowest standard rate in the EU, 17%, and the cheapest eurozone iPhone. Hungary has the highest, 27%, and one of the dearest. Germany and Austria, at 19% and 20%, sit just above Luxembourg, while Finland, Portugal and Ireland, with rates of 23% or more, sit at the bottom. Switzerland is outside the EU and its VAT is 8.1%, which is most of its lead.

Poland and Czechia are the exception. Their VAT is 23% and 21%, yet they come out cheap in euros. Apple sets those prices in local currency and does not move them with every shift of the exchange rate, so their position in the table depends on the zloty and the koruna on the day you look. Treat their lead as real today and fragile tomorrow.

The catch: bringing it home

Inside the EU, there is no catch. Goods bought for your own use in one member state can be brought into another without paying anything more. A French resident driving to Luxembourg saves €37 on an iPhone 17 and €49 on an 18 Pro; one crossing into Germany saves €40 on an iPhone Duo (€2,299 against €2,339). That is roughly the cost of the fuel.

Outside the EU, the rules change. Coming back from Switzerland or the UK, an EU traveller can bring in goods worth €430 tax-free when arriving by air or sea, and €300 by land. An iPhone is worth more than that, so it has to be declared, and you owe your own country's VAT on its full value, plus nothing in customs duty for a phone. A Swiss iPhone 17 at €964 plus 20% French VAT comes to €1,157, which is more than buying it in France. The Swiss "bargain" disappears at the border.

What actually saves money

• Buy at the right moment in your own country. Retail prices drift below Apple's list price over a phone's life, and the September rises showed that Apple can also move them up. Checking a price history before buying is worth more than any border crossing; the French price-tracking methodology behind one such tracker explains how those curves are built.
• Consider last year's model, or a refurbished one. In the US, Apple's own refurbished iPhone 16 with 256 GB costs $739, against $899 for a new 17. See new vs refurbished.
• Pick the right model rather than the right country. The gap between a 17e and a 17 in any country (about €250 in France) is far larger than the gap between countries.

Quick answers

Which country in Europe has the cheapest iPhone?

Switzerland, once converted to euros, but the saving is lost when an EU resident pays import VAT at the border. Inside the EU, Poland was cheapest in October 2026; inside the eurozone, Luxembourg.

Is it cheaper to buy an iPhone in Germany than in France?

Slightly. The iPhone 17 is €1,099 in Germany and €1,119 in France, a €20 difference, and €30 on the 18 Pro.

Can I bring an iPhone from Switzerland into the EU without paying tax?

Not if it is worth more than your traveller's allowance (€430 by air or sea, €300 by land). Above that, you declare it and pay your country's VAT on the full price.