Based on Deutsche Bank’s new annual survey covering over 56 country and cities, Malaysia is one of the cheapest places to buy an iPhone XS and even beaten out Singapore marginally in terms of selling price.

Kuala Lumpur also offers competitive prices for sneaker fans, as branded sports shoes can be bought here at relatively lower prices compared to other cities.

Malaysia is ranked 30th out 40 cities when it comes to getting an iPhone XS.

The 2019 edition of Deutsche Bank’s “Mapping the World’s Prices” shows people here forking out US$1,378 (RM5,775) for the smartphone.

In comparison, in the US (where iPhone’s maker Apple is based) the phone retails at US$1,251. Similar prices are seen in Japan (US$1,256, ranked 38th), Hong Kong (US$1,262, 37th), Australia (US$1,317, 36th) and South Korea (US$1,361).

In other words, an iPhone XS in Malaysia is only 10 per cent more expensive than at official Apple stores in the US, but cheaper than neighbouring Singapore where a brand-new unit costs US$1,386.

Deutsche Bank sourced prices of the phone from official Apple store websites or alternatively from online retailers when the official figures were not available.

And if you are a frequent traveller, you may want to leave your iPhone XS or carry an older or less popular model or brand with you to these next countries.

“Don’t lose or damage your iPhone on holiday in Brazil, Turkey, Argentina, India or Greece as iPhones are 25-65 per cent more expensive than in the US — still the cheapest place to buy outside of Nigeria which we can’t quite explain,” the Deutsche Bank advised in its report.

The same phone is priced at US$2,050 in Brazil and US$1,178 in Nigeria, according to the survey.

The report tracked 32 indicators in cities around the world to gauge living standards and quality of life, including how currencies in 41 countries compared against the US dollar.

Malaysia was among the countries with the smallest year-on-year decline against the US dollar, with the ringgit weakening by five per cent to 0.2417 this year as compared to last year’s 0.2557. Singapore’s dollar weakened year-on-year by three per cent against the US.

Deutsche Bank observed that the US dollar has strengthened against all currencies except the Egyptian pound in the past 12 months, with the biggest losers of the 42 currencies being the Turkish Lira (-31 per cent) and the Argentine Peso (-55 per cent).

This is consistent with the trend observed since Deutsche Bank started this report in 2012, with the US dollar outperforming all currencies in developing and developed nations surveyed.

Over the past five years, Malaysia’s currency weakened by 21 per cent against the US dollar, joining 26 other countries surveyed that experienced declines over the same period of over 20 per cent.

This ranges from 20 per cent (euro), 23 per cent (UK pound sterling), 24 per cent (Australian dollar) to those with the biggest falls of 59 per cent (Egyptian pound), 64 per cent (Turkish lira) and 82 per cent (Argentine peso).

Other countries whose currencies had lesser declines against the US dollar in the last five years include Singapore, Japan, Bangladesh (-8 per cent), South Korea (-10 per cent), the Philippines (-15 per cent), Indonesia (-18 per cent).

Source: www.dbresearch.com