The cheapest countries to buy a Google Pixel 7

The Google Pixel 7 remains one of the best Android phones you can buy in terms of value for money, with the flagship smartphone hitting the market last year for just $599 plus sales tax in the US. This is considerably cheaper than some of the alternative flagships from the other big players, whose base models often start at around $800. But if you’re planning a trip abroad soon and considering whether you can buy it for less on your travels, we’ve rounded up a list of the cheapest places to buy the Pixel 7 in the world.

The basis for this comparison is from the perspective of a US tourist looking to buy the phone while visiting the countries in question. This is important to state because sales tax isn’t just a thing in the United States, but if you’re not a resident of the country where you buy the Pixel 7 and you’re charged sales tax on your purchase, you can usually claim it back before you return home.

With that distinction in mind, let’s take a look.

In the table below, Europe refers to France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland. The Pixel 7 was sold for the same price in Euros in all of these countries.

Note the asterisk on the US pricing because $599 isn’t what most US residents will pay for the device. In most US states, you’ll have to pay sales tax on top of the retail price when you buy the Pixel 7. This depends on the state, but it’s fair to say that you’ll be paying closer to $650 to get your hands on the phone.

The flip side of that coin is that some of the countries listed may include sales tax in the retail price, so a US citizen won’t have to pay more than the prices in the table above and may be able to claim back some of the amount paid if sales tax is included.

With those factors in mind, the cheapest place to buy the Google Pixel 7 as of June 2023 is Japan, where you’d pay the equivalent of $577. Canada and Taiwan are only around $30 more than that. A key takeaway is that, even with the sales tax, the US is still at the cheaper end of the spectrum.

Incidentally, the most expensive place to buy the handset is the UK, where you’re paying the equivalent of $763. Singapore, India, and Denmark are also on the pricey side.

And while we’re more focused on the Pixel 7 in this post, the story is more or less identical with the larger Pixel 7 Pro.

Didn’t I see the Pixel 7 for less while I was abroad?

It’s very possible. We’re referring to the retail price of the Pixel 7 in each country, as set by Google. You may well have come across a third-party retailer in one of the countries listed that was willing to sell you the phone for less than that. But not only would it be impossible to make the comparison based on every local vendor, but we also couldn’t vouch for the reliability of buying it through such outlets.

Furthermore, the Pixel 7 was released in October 2022 and has been the subject of various price drops and carrier deals since then. Whichever part of the world you are in, there’s every chance that you might find the Pixel 7 at a markdown price from retail by now. For instance, you can jump onto Amazon in the US now and find the phone for $549. It will be on offer in similar promotions periodically in many countries.

Should I buy the Pixel 7 from another country?

What’s clear from the table above is that it certainly isn’t worth traveling from the US to another country solely for the purpose of trying to make savings on the Pixel 7. The $50-$80 discount you might realize would pale in comparison to your travel costs.

If you so happen to be passing through one of the countries that are cheaper than the US for other reasons, you might decide to pick up the phone while you’re there, as long as you have time to claim back the sales tax. Even then, you should bear in mind that it may not be unlocked to your US carrier, and the guarantee that comes with the phone may only apply to the country in which you’re buying it.

When you factor in the regular price drops on the device in the US that can bring the price in line with the cheapest countries in the world, it’s almost certainly not worth buying the Pixel 7 from another country.

There are all sorts of economic factors that go into setting the price of the Pixel 7, and some of them are specific to the part of the world in which the device is being sold. Some very significant examples are the import and sales taxes, as well as the other costs associated with physically getting the phone onto shelves in that location.

Moreover, we’re comparing the price of the phone on release in each country with the equivalent price in US dollars as of June 2023. It’s been an eventful nine months for the world economically, and exchange rates have fluctuated a lot since these prices were set. It might be that the retail values were much closer together at that time, and running this comparison in another nine months from now might hail a new cheapest country.