Uchikura & Co., LLC

Which Is Cheaper: MacBook Neo in the U.S. or Japan?

 

Recently, I compared the prices of the “MacBook Neo” listed on Amazon Japan and Amazon US.

 

At first glance, the U.S. prices appear lower when simply converted into dollars. The Japanese prices are ¥99,800 and ¥114,800 (tax included), which convert to approximately US$628 and US$722 at current exchange rates. Meanwhile, Amazon US lists the same models at $589.99 and $689.99.

 

However, there is an important detail many people forget: in the United States, sales tax is not included in the displayed price.

 

Here in Bellevue, Washington, the sales tax is 10.3%, which raises the actual purchase prices to approximately $651 and $761.

 

In the end, the Japanese prices actually turn out to be slightly cheaper.

 

For many years, people assumed Apple products were always less expensive in the United States. But with the weak yen, changing pricing strategies, and local taxes taken into account, that is no longer necessarily true.

 

It is a good reminder that exchange rates alone do not tell the whole story when comparing international prices.