Can i buy an unlocked iPhone 5 in applestore (not internet store)

There are a number of Apple stores in the Chicago metro and suburbun area. I'm a little late on posting back here, but as others have indicated, a purchase in the US for someone that resides in Europe is not such a good idea. The phone is restricted as to the bands it supports, the warranty is only good in the US, and as tonefox indicates, many people misunderstand reduced prices for phones that are subsidized by the carriers. These phones are carrier locked and you either complete a 2-year contract with these carriers or you pay an ETF, early termination fee, to get out of the contract. This fee is generally in the $400 range, depending on the particular carrier. Then you have to request the phone be unlocked. Another hassle.

You can purchase an unlocked phone from the Apple store as I indicated earlier, but it will be restricted on operational bands, and with the warranty. Also, as indicated earlier is the sales tax that must be paid in the US retail store. This can vary based on the location, however the Chicago area sales tax is one of the highest around.

You can make the study on costs as tonefox said earlier, and you may find you are probably not going to save any money in the front end, you will actually be better of spending any extra in Europe for the phone that will operate fully there, and will have a warranty that is good in any of the EU countries.

Many European countries only sell unlocked iPhones. A good method to ascertain this is to call the local Apple store, or the reseller. I live in Thailand - not Europe, obviously - and ALL iPhones sold here (through any channel) are unlocked.