Cost of living comparison

compared to

P'yongyang vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

P'yongyang is 44.1% cheaper than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 83.3% more in P'yongyang
Groceries
pay 11.8% less in P'yongyang
Housing
pay 77.1% less in P'yongyang
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.0 times more in P'yongyang

The cost of entertainment and sports and restaurants in P'yongyang are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including housing and groceries are lower in P'yongyang. Notably, entertainment and sports and restaurants are significantly more expensive in P'yongyang.

P'yongyang vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in P'yongyang instead of Manila, you would:

pay 83.3% more for restaurants

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.58
₱354.92
$4.81
KPW4,327
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.98
₱253.52
$21.26
KPW19,136
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.40
₱89.24
$2.21
KPW1,985

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pay 11.8% less for groceries

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Bread
1 loaf
$1.44
₱91.83
$2.30
KPW2,071
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.89
₱247.19
??
Milk (1 gallon) $7.23
₱460.06
$3.55
KPW3,195

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pay (unknown) more for transportation

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.96
₱315.31
??
Monthly public transit pass $12.75
₱811.25
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,359.52
₱1M
??

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pay 77.1% less for housing

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$24.14
₱1,535.97
??
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $543.82
₱34,596.58
$89.58
KPW80,621
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $281.50
₱17,908.42
$89.58
KPW80,621

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $619.65
₱39,420.99
??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,932.60
₱568K
??

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pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.20
₱76.06
$13.44
KPW12,093
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.55
₱162.25
$1.12
KPW1,008
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.11
₱197.74
??

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
Manila
P'yongyang
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$58.27
₱3,706.98
??
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$27.47
₱1,747.87
??
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.69
₱4,878.68
??

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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