Up to 400 euros difference: cheap mobiles are expensive in Latin America

mobile price latin america

Buying a mobile phone in Latin America is a world apart if we compare it with the United States or Spain. Added to the fluctuation of the value of the currency based on the value of the US dollar is the absence of several of the flagships of renowned brands, such as Xiaomi, LG or Samsung. Other no less important aspects, such as the standard of living or the minimum wage, interfere negatively in countries such as Mexico or Argentina.

For this reason, the type of mobile phone that reaches these places falls within what in Spain we consider as a medium or low-medium range . The starting price, however, is much higher than that of a mobile with the same characteristics in Spain, reaching even the price of an iPhone. The relationship of the brands with the telephone operators is perhaps one of the reasons for this difference, since most models are sold together with data plans and free minutes. But, what is the real difference of buying a mobile in Latin America and Europe?

We have chosen several of the most emblematic models of the main brands to see the difference in price of the different countries with respect to Spain. All models come from Amazon, Mercadolibre and official stores .

The basic price in Spain

we have tested Samsung Galaxy S10 5G rear mirror

Taking Spain as a reference, the price of mobile telephony is far from what we can find in the rest of Latin American countries. The minimum salary in Spain, remember, is 900 euros per month divided into 14 payments, about $ 1,000 to change .

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 705 euros at Amazon (about $ 783 to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 809 euros at Apple (about $ 900 to change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 392 euros on Amazon (about 435 dollars to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 187 euros on Amazon (about $ 207 to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 502 euros in Amazon (about 558 dollars to change)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 266 euros on Amazon (about $ 295 to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : 240 euros in Amazon (about 266 dollars to change)
  • Nokia 5 : 140 euros on Amazon (about $ 155 to change)

Buying a mobile in Mexico: the closest thing to doing it in Spain

Mexico is probably the Latin American country with the lowest price difference compared to Spain. Some models, such as the Nokia 5 or the Motorola Moto G7 are in promotion within Amazon.

The rest of the models keep a difference that expands as we move up the range. It should be noted, however, the level and conditions of life in the country: the minimum monthly salary is 3,123 Mexican pesos, about 146 euros at the exchange rate .

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 16,800 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 790 euros to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 17,500 Mexican pesos at Apple (about 820 euros at the change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 8,700 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 408 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 4,200 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 200 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 12,400 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 580 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 5,800 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 270 euros to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : 3,500 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 165 euros to change)
  • Nokia 5 : 3,100 Mexican pesos on Amazon (about 145 euros to change)

Argentina: without Amazon and with inflation involved

The case of Argentina is the most characteristic of all. Despite the fact that Amazon is present in the country, the only way to access its products requires importation.

Currency inflation is another reason why buying a high-end mobile in Argentina is nothing short of impossible. His minimum salary, however, is higher than that of Mexico: 16,875 Argentine pesos, about 253 euros.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 80,000 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 1,200 euros to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 85,000 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 1,280 euros at the change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 46,800 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 700 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 24,000 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 360 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 62,000 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 931 euros at the exchange rate)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 30,000 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 450 euros to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : 18,000 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 270 euros to change)
  • Nokia 5 : it is not present, although its Plus version is for 15,900 Argentine pesos in Mercadolibre (about 240 euros to change)

Venezuela: inflation eats it all

Huawei Mate 30 9

The value of the bolivar in Venezuela is even more chaotic than in Argentina. The increase in the minimum wage from 18,000 to 40,000 bolivars in April of this year has meant a fairly significant improvement, although below the poverty line, according to some national media. At the change in the European currency, this amounts to only 1.48 euros , so it cannot be extrapolated to the United States, much less to Spain.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 76,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 2.80 euros to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 101,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 3.75 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 40,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 1.48 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 21,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 0.77 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 65,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 2.40 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 28,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 1.03 euros to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : it is not at a stable value, although its G7 Play version is at 20,150 bolivars (about 0.75 euros to change)
  • Nokia 5 : 20,000 bolivars in Mercadolibre (about 0.74 euros at the exchange rate)

Chile: without many differences with respect to Spain

Chile is another of the Spanish-speaking countries that, along with Mexico, is less different from Spain. The current minimum wage is 301,000 Chilean pesos , which in Spain is about 365 euros at the exchange rate.

Unfortunately, the only purchase option is based on Mercadolibre or operator stores . In the latter, the value increases significantly.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 595,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 722 euros at the exchange rate)
  • iPhone 11 : 690,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 837 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 380,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 722 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 170,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 206 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 460,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 558 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 259,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 314 euros at the exchange rate)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : it is not at a stable value, although its G7 Plus version is at 290,000 Chilean pesos (about 352 euros at the exchange rate)
  • Nokia 5 : 178,000 Chilean pesos in Mercadolibre (about 215 euros at the exchange rate)

Buying a mid-range mobile in Colombia is unfeasible

Huawei P20 Pro

The average price of mobile telephony in Colombia does not differ much from the price in Spain. The problem is given by the minimum wage present in the country: around 829,000 Colombian pesos, which is equivalent to 220 euros .

Models like the Huawei P30 Lite start at 920,000 Colombian pesos , approximately 10% higher than the minimum interprofessional wage.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 2,900,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 767 euros to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 3,440,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 909 euros at the change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 1,550,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 410 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 750,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 198 euros at the change)
  • Huawei P30 : 1,999,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 526 euros at the exchange rate)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 920,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 243 euros to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : 737,000 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 195 euros to change)
  • Nokia 5 : 490,900 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre (about 129 euros to change)

Ecuador: the best country to buy mobile phones (but not for its inhabitants)

We arrived in Ecuador, the only country in Latin America that has succumbed to the US dollar as its single currency for more than a decade. This is the reason why the price of mobile phones compared to the United States and Spain is negligible .

It is not so much the purchasing power of its inhabitants, since the minimum salary in Ecuador is 394 dollars , a Xiaomi Mi 9 in Spain or 355 euros at the exchange. We also did not find support from Amazon, Apple or Samsung, to mention some official sales channels.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 810 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 728 euros to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 949 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 853 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 360 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 323 euros at the change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 214 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 193 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 600 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 540 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 290 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 260 euros to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : 300 US dollars in Mercadolibre (about 270 euros to change)
  • Nokia 5 : no presence in the country as a brand, at least through traditional sales channels.

Peru: buying an iPhone 11 equals three months' salary

Peru is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. To put it in context, buying a Huawei P30 Lite represents around 105% of the minimum wage, which today is set at 930 Peruvian soles or 250 euros .

However, the price difference compared to Spain is negligible. The living conditions in the country are not so great.

  • Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus : 2,800 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 750 euros to change)
  • iPhone 11 : 3,000 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 804 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Mi 9 : 1,590 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 426 euros to change)
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 : 750 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 200 euros to change)
  • Huawei P30 : 1,850 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 496 euros at the exchange rate)
  • Huawei P30 Lite : 960 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 258 euros to change)
  • Motorola Moto G7 : it is not at a stable value, although its G7 Plus version is at 1,000 Chilean pesos (about 268 euros at the exchange rate)
  • Nokia 5 : 630 Peruvian soles in Mercadolibre (about 169 euros to change)