True cost
How Much Is a MacBook Air?
The price right now
$1,299.00 — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 16GB/512GB — the entry configuration
- $1,099.00 · what it cost before 25 June 2026
- $1,299.00 · current price
Prices as of September 2026. There is no cheaper base tier: 16GB and 512GB is where the M5 Air starts, double the 8GB/256GB of earlier models. AppleCare+ is priced separately and is not included here.
Sources: Apple — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 16GB/512GB, from $1,299 (confirmed September 2026) · Apple price increases announced 25 June 2026 — MacBook Air from $1,099 to $1,299, cited to the global memory and storage chip shortage
What it really costs per year
| Cost item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The laptop | $1,299 | 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 16GB/512GB. 42 hours of median-income work, 179 hours at the federal minimum wage, 26 hours at $50 an hour. Apple — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 16GB/512GB, from $1,299 (confirmed September 2026) |
| What it cost in April 2026 | $1,099 | $200 less. Apple raised Mac and iPad prices on 25 June 2026 and the Air went from $1,099 to $1,299 — a 18% increase on a machine that did not change. Apple price increases announced 25 June 2026 — MacBook Air from $1,099 to $1,299, cited to the global memory and storage chip shortage |
| Why it went up | varies | The global memory and storage chip shortage driven by AI datacentre demand — the same pressure pushing console and gaming-PC prices up. Memory is a bigger share of a laptop's bill of materials than of most products, which is why laptops moved most. Apple price increases announced 25 June 2026 — MacBook Air from $1,099 to $1,299, cited to the global memory and storage chip shortage |
| Spread over four years | varies | About $325 a year, or roughly eleven hours of median-income work annually. That is the number worth comparing against, not the sticker. Apple — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 16GB/512GB, from $1,299 (confirmed September 2026) |
| AppleCare+ | varies | Sold separately and priced by model and plan. No single figure covers it, so none is invented here. |
| The figure that matters | $1,299 | The current entry price. 42 hours of median-income work and 179 hours at the federal minimum wage — or about $325 a year over a four-year life. |
The price in hours of your life
The same figure, converted into working time — this purchase costs you:
| Income level | Hourly | Hours of work / year | Work weeks / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal minimum wage | $7.25 | 179 | ≈ 4.5 |
| Median US full-time income | $30.83 | 42 | ≈ 1.1 |
| Higher incomeexample | $50.00 | 26 | ≈ 0.6 |
Sources: US DOL — federal minimum, unchanged since 2009 · BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, Q1 2026 — median weekly earnings $1,233 ÷ 40h
Prefer to start from your side of the math? Calculate your exact hourly rate first — it's remembered for the session.
The same laptop, $200 more than in the spring
The MacBook Air costs $1,299 today and cost $1,099 in April. Nothing about the machine changed: Apple raised Mac and iPad prices on 25 June 2026 and blamed the global memory and storage chip shortage, the same pressure that has pushed console and gaming-PC prices up through the year. In work hours the Air went from about 36 hours at the median US income to 42 — six hours added to the price of an unchanged product. The consolation is the amortisation: over a realistic four-year life this is roughly $325 a year, about eleven hours of work annually, which is a genuinely low running cost for a machine most owners use every day. Judge it on that figure rather than the sticker, because the sticker is the one that moved.
For
- The entry configuration is 16GB and 512GB, double what earlier Airs started with — there is no stripped base tier below it
- Over four years it works out at about $325 a year, roughly eleven hours of median-income work annually
- Apple prices Macs in steps rather than discounting them, so there is no sale cycle to time
Against
- $1,299 is 42 hours of median-income work and 179 hours at the federal minimum wage
- It is $200 more than in April 2026 for an unchanged machine, a 18% increase
- AppleCare+ and storage upgrades are priced separately and are not in the $1,299
Frequently asked questions
How much is a MacBook Air?
$1,299 for the 13-inch M5 with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, which is the entry configuration. There is no cheaper base tier.
Why did the MacBook Air get more expensive?
Apple announced Mac and iPad price increases on 25 June 2026, taking the Air from $1,099 to $1,299. The stated cause is the global memory and storage chip shortage driven by AI datacentre demand.
How many hours of work is a MacBook Air?
About 42 hours at the median US income of $30.83 an hour, 26 hours at $50 an hour, and 179 hours at the federal minimum wage.
How much does a MacBook Air cost per year?
About $325 a year over a four-year life, which is roughly eleven hours of median-income work annually.