Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Korea vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
North Korea is 24.4% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 28.5% less in North Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 25.3% less in North Korea
- Housing
-
pay 87.4% less in North Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.8% more in North Korea
Expenses including housing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in North Korea.
North Korea vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Korea instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 28.5% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
?? | |
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.34
KPW2,102
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of restaurants
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pay 25.3% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$2.40
KPW2,161
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$3.70
KPW3,332
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$2.08
KPW1,876
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
?? | |
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
?? | |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
?? | |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
?? | |
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
?? | |
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of groceries
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pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
?? | |
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
?? |
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of transportation
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pay 87.4% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$93.44
KPW84,095
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$262.80
KPW236,518
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
?? | |
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of housing
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pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
?? |
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of childcare
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pay 43.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$14.02
KPW12,614
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
?? | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
?? | |
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
?? |
South Carolina vs. North Korea - Cost of clothing
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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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cost of living in United States vs. North Korea.
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