Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,704
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: North Korea is 38.8% cheaper than Austin, TX without rent, and 69.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: North Korea is 46% cheaper than Austin, TX without rent, and 67.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 $2.75
$20.22 $20.22
-86.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.54 $22.54
$85.0 $85.0
-73.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.33 $19.33
$12.35 $12.35
56.52%
Cappuccino
$1.09 $1.09
$5.47 $5.47
-80.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$3.82 $3.82
-41.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 $1.28
$2.50 $2.50
-48.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.50 $13.50
$8.06 $8.06
67.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$8.99 $8.99
-61.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$1.13 $1.13
-20.35%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 $2.52
$3.78 $3.78
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$3.25 $3.25
-52.00%
Eggs
$2.89 $2.89
$4.14 $4.14
-30.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$13.08 $13.08
-62.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 $3.86
$14.31 $14.31
-73.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$15.96 $15.96
-65.54%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 $6.12
$4.38 $4.38
39.73%
Banana (1kg)
$5.13 $5.13
$1.45 $1.45
253.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.28 $2.28
$4.54 $4.54
-49.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$4.19 $4.19
-47.97%
Potato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$2.63 $2.63
72.24%
Onion (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$2.36 $2.36
91.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.76 $1.76
28.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 $0.46
$2.16 $2.16
-78.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52 $4.52
$9.81 $9.81
-53.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$14.72 $14.72
-46.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 $1.15
$2.78 $2.78
-58.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$3.48 $3.48
-37.36%
🚌 Getting Around
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 $1.00
$1.49 $1.49
-32.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.72 $38.72
$40.51 $40.51
-4.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 $1.52
$2.67 $2.67
-43.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.58 $1.58
42.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 $39.80
$35.29 $35.29
12.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.71 $0.71
$0.99 $0.99
-28.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K $22.2K
$35.8K $35.8K
-37.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$27.2K $27.2K
2.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.64 $33.64
$219 $219
-84.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.23 $11.23
$58.0 $58.0
-80.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.44 $45.44
$68.4 $68.4
-33.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.4 $59.4
$57.9 $57.9
2.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.41 $14.41
$14.82 $14.82
-2.77%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 $7.78
$14.13 $14.13
-44.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$106 $106
$1,509 $1,509
-93.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,149 $2,149
$21.5K $21.5K
-89.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.12 $22.12
$51.7 $51.7
-57.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.19 $28.19
$44.05 $44.05
-36.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.9 $62.9
$85.1 $85.1
-26.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 $84.7
$105 $105
-19.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$97.2 $97.2
$1,932 $1,932
-94.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 $104
$1,272 $1,272
-91.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 $1,399
$3,670 $3,670
-61.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$208 $208
$2,525 $2,525
-91.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,684 $1,684
$7,617 $7,617
-77.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,392 $1,392
$3,199 $3,199
-56.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Korea
Austin, TX
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$232 $232
$5,105 $5,105
-95.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.11
6.79
4.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
North Korea
$247
Austin, TX
$403 63% $156
Eating Out
North Korea
$182
Austin, TX
$348 91.6% $166
Accommodation & Living
North Korea
$104
Austin, TX
$1.3K 1127% $1.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
$90
Austin, TX
$346 283% $255
Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
$89
Austin, TX
$129 44.5% $40
Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
$75
Austin, TX
$86 14.9% $11
Getting Around
North Korea
$56
Austin, TX
$57 2.7% $1.5
Good to know
🇰🇵 North Korea
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🕒 Local time
12:36 12:36 PM
22:36 10:36 PM
14 h behind North Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,418,204
974,447
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – USD Converter

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • North Korea Austin, TX 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • North Korea
  • Austin, TX

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

North Korea vs other spots: cost of living compared

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