Cost of living in North Korea
Change the currency:
| Food | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | - | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | - | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 8,000 ₩ | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 2,850 ₩ | |
| 12 eggs, large | 2,655 ₩ | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 543 ₩ | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | - | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | - | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | - | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | - | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | - | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | - | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | - | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | 2,670,050 ₩ | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | 600,000 ₩ | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 120,000 ₩ | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | 1,000,000 ₩ | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | 597,224 ₩ | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | 150,000 ₩ | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | 59,000 ₩ | |
| 40” flat screen TV | 185,000 ₩ | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | 60,000 ₩ | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | - | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | - | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | - | |
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | 90,076 ₩ | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | 10,499 ₩ | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | - | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 32,359,600 ₩ | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 444 ₩ | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | 37,333 ₩ | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | - | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | - | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | - | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | - | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | - | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | - | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | - | |
| Tube of toothpaste | - | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | - | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | - | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | - | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | - | |
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | - | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 67,999 ₩ | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | - | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | - | |
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | - | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | - | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | - | |
| 1 package of Marlboro cigarettes | - | |
Map of Cost of Living in North Korea
This map shows only the top cities in North Korea. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan.
The color of each marker corresponds with the Cost of Living in the city. Red markers show more expensive cities, green ones show cheaper cities.
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 92% more expensive than in Ostrava
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 55% more expensive than in Prague
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 27% cheaper than in San Francisco, California
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 23% cheaper than in Oslo
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 6% cheaper than in Melbourne
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is about the same as in St. John's, NL
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 79% more expensive than in Fortaleza
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 7% more expensive than in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 52% more expensive than in Tallinn
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 23% more expensive than in Montreal
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 36% more expensive than in Shanghai
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 11% more expensive than in Seoul
- Cost of living in Yuktae-dong is 13% cheaper than in Sydney
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 12% more expensive than in Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 181% more expensive than in Tekirdağ
- Cost of living in Yuktae-dong is about the same as in Cedar Falls, Iowa
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 24% more expensive than in Flint, Michigan
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 77% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is 31% more expensive than in Athens
- Cost of living in Pyongyang is about the same as in Lyon