1. Find the cost of one apple:

* Since he can buy 36 apples with the same amount of money as 12 pears, one apple costs the same as 12/36 = 1/3 of a pear.

2. Determine the equal number of apples and pears:

* To buy an equal number of apples and pears, we need to find a number that is divisible by both 3 (the cost ratio of an apple to a pear) and 12 (the number of pears he can buy).

* The least common multiple of 3 and 12 is 12.

Answer:

He can buy 4 pears and 12 apples.