Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Korea vs. District of Columbia Cost of Living Summary
North Korea is 43.6% cheaper than District of Columbia.
North Korea vs. District of Columbia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Korea instead of District of Columbia, you would:
pay 42.5% less for restaurants
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
?? | |
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$2.34
KPW2,102
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.2% less for groceries
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$2.40
KPW2,161
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$3.70
KPW3,332
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$2.08
KPW1,876
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
?? | |
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
?? | |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
?? | |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
?? | |
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
?? | |
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of groceries
pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
?? | |
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
?? |
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 91.9% less for housing
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$93.44
KPW84,095
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$262.80
KPW237K
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
?? | |
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
?? |
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 2.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$14.02
KPW12,614
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
?? | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
?? | |
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
District of Columbia
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
?? |
District of Columbia vs. North Korea - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: District of Columbia vs. North Korea
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. North Korea.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and North Korea.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about North Korea or District of Columbia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.