Study: Indonesians Need 63 Working Days to Afford an iPhone 18 Pro Max
Buying an iPhone 18 Pro Max takes different amounts of work across South-east Asia. In Indonesia, workers are estimated to need more than 50 days of work to afford Apple’s latest premium handset.
The figures come from a comparison of iPhone affordability in the Picodi Phone Affordability Index, reported by Seasia Stats on Tuesday (27 October 2026). Indonesia ranked fifth among South-east Asian countries for the fewest working days needed to buy an iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Singapore topped the list. Workers there need only eight working days to buy the same device.
Indonesia nevertheless ranked ahead of several neighbouring countries. Vietnam was sixth, at 96 working days, followed by the Philippines at 98.
Workers in Cambodia are estimated to need 172 working days. Myanmar and Laos had the longest periods on the list, at 180 and 183 days respectively.
The following is the number of working days needed to buy an iPhone 18 Pro Max in 10 South-east Asian countries, according to Picodi:
Singapore: 8 days
Brunei Darussalam: 12 days
Malaysia: 26 days
Thailand: 50 days
Indonesia: 63 days
Vietnam: 96 days
Philippines: 98 days
Cambodia: 172 days
Myanmar: 180 days
Laos: 183 days
The differences in working days illustrate the gap in affordability of premium electronic products across South-east Asia. The same device can account for different proportions of income in each country, depending on wage levels and local retail prices.
In Indonesia, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is being sold from Rp29,499,000 for the 256 GB model. The top-end 2 TB version is priced at Rp58,999,000.
However, the 63-working-day figure does not mean that all Indonesian workers can buy an iPhone after working for that period. The affordability calculation compares the device’s price with income. In practice, people also have to allocate their earnings to everyday needs such as food, transport, housing and other expenses.