Electronics Prices in Europe

Electronics prices in Europe are really insane. When I visited the US in Feburary 2007, I also purchased my MacBook Pro, which I feel like I've had forever now. It cost me $1,000 less in the US than it would have if I had bought it in Europe. At the time of this writing, the cheapest new MacBook Pro is $1,999 at the US Apple Store and 1,849€ at the Spain Apple Store. That's a difference of $663.56. This year, my late Christmas gift to myself in February is going to be a Canon EOS 40D DSLR camera. I've spent a few months now reading reviews, learning about lenses and shutters and apertures and focal lengths, etc. and it's time to take my photography hobby to the next level. The price for this camera in the US is $1,499. The price in Spain, with a slightly superior lens is 1,779€. That's a price difference of $1,062.76, which happens to be a couple bucks more than my airline tickets.

Isn't that gorgeous?

So if you're living in Europe and you're going to make an electronics purchase for more than a thousand euros, you really should look into flying to New York for a weekend and buying it on Fifth Ave. It'll probably be cheaper.