Everyone in Australia already knows that they get ripped off purchasing any sort of digital goods locally, and of course there's the inquiry into pricing in the country, but this ridiculous statistic really puts it all in perspective. News.com.au discovered that it's actually cheaper for an Australian to fly to the United States, purchase a copy of Adobe CS6 Master Collection, then fly back, than to actually purchase the software locally.

In Australia, Adobe's Creative Suite 6 Master Collection costs AU$4,344 for a boxed copy, or AU$3,949 for a digital copy which is GST exempt. In the United States, the exact same product will cost you US$2,599, which when currency converted comes in at AU$2,513 - a difference in price of AU$1,831 over the boxed copy (AU$1,436 over digital).

A return flight to Los Angeles costs AU$1,147.58 on Virgin Australia, meaning if you chose to fly to the United States to purchase CS6 Master Collection you would save AU$228 over buying a digital copy locally, and it's a whole AU$684 cheaper than buying a boxed copy. If you are unlucky and forced to pay import tax and duty for the product coming into Australia, the total amount (CS6 + tax/duty + flight) would be AU$4,049, which is still cheaper than buying a boxed copy locally.

The fact that it's cheaper for Australians to fly internationally to purchase a piece of software highlights just how ridiculous software premiums are for those not living in North America. While Adobe did reduce the price of Creative Cloud subscriptions to more closely match the US prices, the price discrepancy in other products still remains.

Source: News.com.au