Cost of living comparison

compared to

Brussels vs. P'yongyang Cost of Living Summary

Brussels is 4.4 times more expensive than P'yongyang.

Restaurants
pay 2.0 times more in Brussels
Groceries
pay 64.5% more in Brussels
Housing
pay 13.9 times more in Brussels
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.0% less in Brussels

The cost of housing, restaurants, and groceries in Brussels are more expensive than in P'yongyang. Notably, housing and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Brussels.

Brussels vs. P'yongyang Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.0 times more for restaurants

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.81
KPW4,327
$22.39
€19.93
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$21.26
KPW19,136
$15.12
€13.45
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.21
KPW1,985
$3.73
€3.32

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pay 64.5% more for groceries

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Bread
1 loaf
$2.30
KPW2,071
$2.75
€2.45
Local cheese (8 oz) ?? $8.91
€7.93
Milk (1 gallon) $3.55
KPW3,195
$5.00
€4.45

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pay (unknown) more for transportation

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Gasoline (1 gallon) ?? $7.99
€7.11
Monthly public transit pass ?? $62.71
€55.81
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $35,462.03
€31,562.48

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pay 13.9 times more for housing

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
?? $51.88
€46.18
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $89.58
KPW80,621
$1,339.95
€1,192.60
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $89.58
KPW80,621
$1,154.19
€1,027.27

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? $1,603.72
€1,427.37
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $36,825.21
€32,775.76

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pay 15.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $13.44
KPW12,093
$5.60
€4.98
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.12
KPW1,008
$4.44
€3.96
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
?? $13.44
€11.96

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
P'yongyang
Brussels
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $101.94
€90.73
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $46.03
€40.97
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $109.64
€97.58

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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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