Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Korea vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
North Korea is 30.5% cheaper than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.9% less in North Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 35.2% less in North Korea
- Housing
-
pay 89.1% less in North Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.0% more in North Korea
Expenses including housing, groceries, and restaurants are lower in North Korea.
North Korea vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Korea instead of New York, you would:
pay 20.9% less for restaurants
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
?? | |
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$2.34
KPW2,102
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
New York vs. North Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 35.2% less for groceries
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$2.40
KPW2,161
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$3.70
KPW3,332
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$2.08
KPW1,876
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
?? | |
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
?? | |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
?? | |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
?? | |
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
?? | |
New York vs. North Korea - Cost of groceries
pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
?? | |
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
?? |
New York vs. North Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 89.1% less for housing
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$93.44
KPW84,095
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$262.80
KPW236,518
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
?? | |
New York vs. North Korea - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
?? |
New York vs. North Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 23.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$14.02
KPW12,614
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
?? | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
?? | |
New York vs. North Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
New York
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
?? |
New York 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: December 2025
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