Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, it’s been impossible to escape the headlines around the new tariffs imposed on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese imports to the U.S. (or the many retaliatory tariffs that these countries have imposed on U.S. products). The expectation is that these tariffs will make certain goods more expensive, regardless where you live. But in a bizarre twist of timing, tariffs, and currency exchange rates, one particularly popular Apple product is cheaper in Canada than in the U.S.: the AirPods Pro 2.
Apple sells the AirPods Pro 2 in the U.S. for $249 and $329 ($CAD) in Canada. A quick look at current currency conversion rates shows that despite the higher number in Canada, that’s actually the cheaper of the two prices. According to RBC Bank’s currency calculator, if you hold U.S. dollars right now, you can buy $329 CAD for just $236 USD — a $13-dollar savings.
Granted, that’s not a massive difference, but given the way things are going, it’s a difference that could grow in the near future.
As a Chinese-made gadget, Apple’s flagship wireless earbuds belong to the group of products covered by the U.S. 10% tariff on imports from China. For now, Apple’s price on the noise-canceling earbuds hasn’t changed: It’s still set at $249 on Apple’s website. Apple could raise the price in the future to offset the tariff, or it could choose to take the hit and keep the price as-is — we’ll have to wait and see.
Canada has no plans to tariff Chinese imports, so Apple won’t face any tariff-related pressure to raise Canadian prices. However, the Canadian dollar has been on a downward slide relative to the U.S. dollar for months and the trade war between the countries threatens to depress the value of Canada’s currency even further.
If Apple is forced to raise its prices in the U.S. because of tariffs, and if the Canadian dollar slips further, the discrepancy in Apple pricing between these two countries could widen.
If it does, you should think of it as a temporary deal. The AirPods Pro 2 price in Canadian dollars represents a 32% increase on the U.S. price. However, Apple’s newest products, like the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, 2025 iPad Air, and 2025 M4 MacBook Air all feature larger Canadian increases, ranging from 38% on the AirPods 4 ($129 USD/$179 CAD) to 45% on the iPad Air ($549 USD/$799 CAD). Clearly Apple is keeping close tabs on the currency situation and has priced its latest products accordingly.
