Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Korea vs. Tennessee Cost of Living Summary
North Korea is 24.9% cheaper than Tennessee.
- Restaurants
-
pay 30.2% less in North Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 25.6% less in North Korea
- Housing
-
pay 86.5% less in North Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 42.6% more in North Korea
Expenses including housing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in North Korea.
North Korea vs. Tennessee Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Korea instead of Tennessee, you would:
pay 30.2% less for restaurants
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.38
|
?? | |
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.61
|
?? | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.84
|
$2.34
KPW2,102
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
Tennessee vs. North Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.6% less for groceries
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.09
|
$2.40
KPW2,161
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.60
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$3.70
KPW3,332
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.02
|
$2.08
KPW1,876
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.26
|
?? | |
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.81
|
?? | |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
?? | |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
?? | |
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
?? | |
Tennessee vs. North Korea - Cost of groceries
pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.85
|
?? | |
| Monthly public transit pass |
$43.19
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,576.40
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
|
?? |
Tennessee vs. North Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 86.5% less for housing
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.00
|
?? | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,440.17
|
$93.44
KPW84,095
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,280.54
|
$262.80
KPW236,518
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$166.18
|
?? | |
Tennessee vs. North Korea - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,018.45
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,585.44
|
?? |
Tennessee vs. North Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 42.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.33
|
$14.02
KPW12,614
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.22
|
$1.17
KPW1,051
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.78
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.70
|
?? | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.08
|
?? | |
Tennessee vs. North Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Tennessee
|
North Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.54
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.28
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.58
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.74
|
?? |
Tennessee 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. North Korea.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and North Korea.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about North Korea or Tennessee. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.