Cost of living comparison

compared to

Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary

Northern Mariana Islands is 24.6% more expensive than South Korea overall.

Restaurants: pay 65.7% more in Northern Mariana Islands
Groceries: pay 15.5% more in Northern Mariana Islands
Transportation: pay 73.8% more in Northern Mariana Islands
Housing: pay 81.6% more in Northern Mariana Islands
Childcare: pay 60.1% less in Northern Mariana Islands
Entertainment and Sports: pay 27.6% more in Northern Mariana Islands
Clothing: pay 31.6% less in Northern Mariana Islands

The cost of housing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Northern Mariana Islands are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Northern Mariana Islands. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Northern Mariana Islands.

Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of South Korea, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 65.7% more for restaurants

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.72 ₩9,912	$11.50	+71.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.50 ₩8,106	$12.00	+118.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.47 ₩2,162	$1.67	+13.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.82 ₩1,216	$1.32	+59.6%
Average			+65.7%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants

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pay 15.5% more for groceries

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Bread 1 loaf	$2.87 ₩4,237	$3.33	+16.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.63 ₩8,294	??
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.67 ₩11,317	$8.44	+10.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.84 ₩4,182	$6.33	+123.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.34 ₩4,919	$6.00	+79.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$3.24 ₩4,771	$2.99	-7.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.39 ₩2,046	$1.00	-27.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.80 ₩4,123	$2.99	+6.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.40 ₩3,545	??
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.78 ₩2,628	$0.95	-46.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.20 ₩1,775	$1.03	-14.1%
Average			+15.5%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries

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pay 73.8% more for transportation

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.40 ₩6,489	$5.49	+24.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$47.17 ₩69,558	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$26,440.41 ₩38,987,177	$36,999.00	+39.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$8.33 ₩12,286	$21.41	+157.0%
Average			+73.8%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation

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pay 81.6% more for housing

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$21.68 ₩31,974	$60.00	+176.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$473.91 ₩698,787	$625.00	+31.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$357.19 ₩526,681	$450.00	+26.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$132.53 ₩195,423	$254.42	+92.0%
Average			+81.6%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing

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pay 60.1% less for childcare

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$378.52 ₩558,145	??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$15,055.40 ₩22,199,645	$6,000.00	-60.1%
Average			-60.1%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare

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pay 27.6% more for entertainment and sports

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.12 ₩4,598	$6.00	+92.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.57 ₩5,261	$5.12	+43.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.18 ₩4,695	??
Monthly membership at local gym	$49.86 ₩73,520	$47.50	-4.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.12 ₩14,919	$8.00	-20.9%
Average			+27.6%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 31.6% less for clothing

	South Korea	Northern Mariana Islands
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.46 ₩97,997	$30.00	-54.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$50.68 ₩74,734	$40.00	-21.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$72.74 ₩107,257	$70.00	-3.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$103.23 ₩152,222	$55.00	-46.7%
Average			-31.6%

South Korea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - 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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