Edit: Costco is reportedly cancelling many online orders with Apple products in USA and Canada. Still doesnt hurt to try. If you can still find, a Costco nearby, might be good idea to check.
Apple Just Raised MacBook Prices — But Costco Still Hasn't Caught Up - READ ENTIRE NEW PRICES
So Apple bumped up MacBook prices, and not by a little. If you've had one in your cart waiting for a sale, bad news: the sale's not coming. They blamed memory costs — basically AI companies are buying up all the RAM and prices went nuts. The Air went up $200. The Pro went up $300. And the analysts I've read don't think any of it's coming back down.
Here's the thing though. Price hikes never hit every store at once. Costco is still sitting on MacBooks it bought at the old price, and it hasn't bothered to mark them up yet. The base Air is about $350 cheaper there than going straight to Apple. That's not nothing.
How much did MacBook prices actually go up?
The two models most people buy got hit the hardest. The MacBook Air starts at $1,299 now — it was $1,099 a couple days ago. The MacBook Pro jumped to $1,999 from $1,699. You can see the new numbers on Apple's own store right now, and it wasn't just the Macs. iPads and Apple TV went up too.
What makes this one weird is the reason. RAM prices have gone through the roof because data centers are buying memory by the truckload for AI, and Apple just passed that bill along to the rest of us. Which means waiting it out probably isn't going to save you anything.
Apple vs. Costco: what you'll actually pay
I pulled all of these straight off Costco's live listings. One detail worth noticing: the MacBook Air listings have a "price valid through" date on them, which usually means they're clearing old stock and the price won't last.
MacBook Air 13" (M5) — Apple $1,299 · Costco $949.99 · save ~$350
MacBook Air 15" (M5) — Apple ~$1,499 · Costco $1,249.99 · save ~$250
MacBook Pro 14" (M5, 16GB/1TB) — Apple $1,999 · Costco $1,649.99 · save ~$350
MacBook Pro 14" (M5 Pro, 24GB/1TB) — Costco $2,149.99
MacBook Neo 13" (A18 Pro) — Apple $699 · Costco $589.99 · save ~$110
Why is Costco cheaper than Apple anyway?
It's mostly timing. When a company raises prices, the new price only applies to new orders. Stores already holding stock paid the old price for it, so they can keep selling it cheap until it runs out. Costco moves a ton of laptops, so they tend to have that older stock around for a while.
And honestly the price tag isn't even the whole story. Costco throws in stuff Apple doesn't — their return policy is ridiculous, computers come with extended warranty coverage for members, and there's a trade-in program that gives you a Costco gift card for your old Mac. So the actual savings can end up bigger than what the sticker says.
A few things to check first
M5 and M5 Pro on a MacBook pro can be very confusing. Double-check the chip and the specs actually match what you want, because sometimes a lower price just means less RAM or storage. Check the price once it's in your cart too — Costco sometimes only shows the member discount at checkout. And make sure it's in stock now and not a pre-order at the new price. Oh, and you do need a membership. The Air's savings cover that easily, but it's worth remembering.
Bottom line
Nobody likes paying more. But this is one of those windows where you can dodge it for a bit. Apple's floor is $1,299 for the Air and $1,999 for the Pro now — and Costco's still got the M5 Air at $949.99 (very limited stock) while the old stock holds out. It will go fast once word gets around. If you've been meaning to buy one, I'd check Costco today rather than next week.
Prices checked June 27, 2026. They can change, so always look at the in-cart total before you pull the trigger.
