Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in North Korea:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 81.4% higher than in North Korea (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 126.6% higher than in North Korea
Rent Prices in United States are 356.4% higher than in North Korea
Restaurant Prices in United States are 128.1% higher than in North Korea
Groceries Prices in United States are 65.9% higher than in North Korea
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 1,021.0% higher than in North Korea

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	North Korea Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	2.50 € (2.84 $)	17.59 € (20.00 $)	+603.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	20.20 € (22.97 $)	65.96 € (75.00 $)	+226.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.11 € (12.63 $)	10.11 € (11.50 $)	-9.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	12.00 € (13.64 $)	5.28 € (6.00 $)	-56.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2.50 € (2.84 $)	6.16 € (7.00 $)	+146.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1.00 € (1.14 $)	4.61 € (5.24 $)	+360.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1.97 € (2.24 $)	2.25 € (2.56 $)	+14.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1.00 € (1.14 $)	1.84 € (2.09 $)	+83.9 %
Markets	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3.19 € (3.62 $)	3.52 € (4.01 $)	+10.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1.67 € (1.89 $)	2.90 € (3.29 $)	+73.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	0.64 € (0.73 $)	1.84 € (2.09 $)	+186.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	2.13 € (2.42 $)	3.77 € (4.29 $)	+77.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1.81 € (2.06 $)	5.15 € (5.86 $)	+184.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	0.91 € (1.03 $)	4.87 € (5.53 $)	+436.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	2.27 € (2.58 $)	6.51 € (7.40 $)	+186.8 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.72 € (3.09 $)	2.11 € (2.40 $)	-22.6 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.81 € (2.06 $)	0.67 € (0.76 $)	-63.0 %
Oranges (1 lb)	0.91 € (1.03 $)	1.80 € (2.04 $)	+97.9 %
Tomato (1 lb)	0.91 € (1.03 $)	1.96 € (2.23 $)	+116.0 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.36 € (1.55 $)	1.17 € (1.33 $)	-13.9 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.36 € (1.55 $)	1.23 € (1.39 $)	-9.9 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.00 € (2.27 $)	1.94 € (2.20 $)	-3.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	0.40 € (0.45 $)	1.96 € (2.23 $)	+390.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	7.00 € (7.96 $)	13.19 € (15.00 $)	+88.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.00 € (1.14 $)	1.72 € (1.96 $)	+72.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2.00 € (2.27 $)	3.16 € (3.60 $)	+58.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	4.00 € (4.55 $)	8.80 € (10.00 $)	+119.9 %
Transportation	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	0.90 € (1.02 $)	2.20 € (2.50 $)	+144.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	35.00 € (39.79 $)	57.17 € (65.00 $)	+63.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	1.35 € (1.53 $)	3.30 € (3.75 $)	+144.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	3.22 € (3.66 $)	2.46 € (2.80 $)	-23.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	36.00 € (40.93 $)	26.39 € (30.00 $)	-26.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2.46 € (2.80 $)	3.08 € (3.50 $)	+25.2 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	20,000.00 € (22,739.60 $)	26,385.69 € (30,000.00 $)	+31.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,000.00 € (28,424.50 $)	22,848.04 € (25,977.77 $)	-8.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	30.00 € (34.11 $)	183.43 € (208.55 $)	+511.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	10.00 € (11.37 $)	50.42 € (57.33 $)	+404.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	40.00 € (45.48 $)	63.00 € (71.63 $)	+57.5 %
Sports And Leisure	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	38.00 € (43.21 $)	40.61 € (46.17 $)	+6.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	13.00 € (14.78 $)	19.29 € (21.93 $)	+48.4 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	7.00 € (7.96 $)	12.63 € (14.36 $)	+80.5 %
Childcare	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	95.00 € (108.01 $)	1,207.34 € (1,372.73 $)	+1,170.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	1,885.00 € (2,143.21 $)	19,799.99 € (22,512.19 $)	+950.4 %
Clothing And Shoes	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	20.00 € (22.74 $)	45.89 € (52.18 $)	+129.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	25.00 € (28.42 $)	37.41 € (42.54 $)	+49.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	55.00 € (62.53 $)	79.09 € (89.93 $)	+43.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	75.00 € (85.27 $)	99.86 € (113.54 $)	+33.1 %
Rent Per Month	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	85.33 € (97.02 $)	1,535.37 € (1,745.68 $)	+1,699.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	93.33 € (106.12 $)	1,265.98 € (1,439.39 $)	+1,256.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,269.00 € (1,442.83 $)	2,546.15 € (2,894.92 $)	+100.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	186.67 € (212.24 $)	2,112.36 € (2,401.71 $)	+1,031.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	140.00 € (159.18 $)	263.82 € (299.96 $)	+88.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	115.00 € (130.75 $)	221.82 € (252.21 $)	+92.9 %
Salaries And Financing	North Korea Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	149.89 € (170.42 $)	3,808.01 € (4,329.63 $)	+2,440.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	7.11	6.51	-8.5 %
Last update:	29 April 2025	24 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	15	11221

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