Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Korea vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
North Korea is 26.7% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 50.5% more in North Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 31.6% less in North Korea
- Housing
-
pay 53.3% less in North Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.4 times more in North Korea
The cost of entertainment and sports and restaurants in North Korea are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including housing and groceries are lower in North Korea. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in North Korea.
North Korea vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Korea instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 50.5% more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.72
₩9,865
|
?? | |
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.50
₩8,068
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.47
₩2,152
|
$2.34
KPW2,102
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.82
₩1,211
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
South Korea vs. North Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.6% less for groceries
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.87
₩4,217
|
$2.40
KPW2,161
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.63
₩8,255
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.67
₩11,264
|
$3.70
KPW3,332
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.84
₩4,162
|
$2.08
KPW1,876
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.34
₩4,896
|
?? | |
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.24
₩4,748
|
?? | |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.39
₩2,037
|
?? | |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.80
₩4,104
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.40
₩3,528
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.78
₩2,616
|
?? | |
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
₩1,767
|
?? | |
South Korea vs. North Korea - Cost of groceries
pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.40
₩6,458
|
?? | |
| Monthly public transit pass |
$47.17
₩69,233
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,440.41
₩38,804,738
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.33
₩12,228
|
?? |
South Korea vs. North Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 53.3% less for housing
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$21.68
₩31,824
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$473.91
₩695,518
|
$93.44
KPW84,095
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$357.19
₩524,216
|
$262.80
KPW236,518
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.53
₩194,509
|
?? | |
South Korea vs. North Korea - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$378.52
₩555,533
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,055.40
₩22,095,763
|
?? |
South Korea vs. North Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 2.4 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.12
₩4,576
|
$14.02
KPW12,614
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.57
₩5,236
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.18
₩4,673
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.86
₩73,176
|
?? | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.12
₩14,850
|
?? | |
South Korea vs. North Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
South Korea
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$66.46
₩97,538
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.68
₩74,384
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.74
₩106,755
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.23
₩151,509
|
?? |
South Korea 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: November 2025
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