Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and China Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and China

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: North Korea is 32.8% more expensive than China without rent, and 2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: North Korea is 26.8% more expensive than China without rent, and 1.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 $2.84

$2.82 ¥19.53

0.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.81 $23.81

$23.62 ¥163

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.89 $12.89

$4.97 ¥34.40

159.36%

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$3.14 ¥21.70

-64.01%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.44 ¥3.07

431.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$0.27 ¥1.84

337.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.62 $13.62

$0.93 ¥6.41

1364.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.08 ¥14.39

37.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.84 ¥12.71

-48.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.62 ¥11.18

35.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.96 ¥6.63

72.92%

Eggs

$2.53 $2.53

$1.56 ¥10.78

62.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$13.18 ¥91.2

-64.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$3.21 ¥22.18

-28.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$10.89 ¥75.4

-46.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.06 $7.06

$1.77 ¥12.22

298.87%

Banana (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.25 ¥8.65

267.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.52 ¥10.54

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.15 ¥7.96

94.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.76 ¥5.28

343.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.89 ¥6.15

301.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.61 ¥4.25

283.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 $0.44

$0.54 ¥3.72

-18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.38 ¥23.36

34.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 $8.24

$11.67 ¥80.7

-29.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.78 ¥5.40

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.67 ¥11.55

42.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.43 ¥2.98

134.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.81 $40.81

$20.93 ¥145

94.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.41 ¥9.75

7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.35 ¥2.45

482.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.73 $41.73

$6.48 ¥44.84

543.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.16 ¥8.05

-37.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.7K $22.7K

$19.3K ¥133.3K

18.08%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.0K $29.0K

$17.0K ¥117.5K

70.73%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$35.27 $35.27

$51.3 ¥355

-31.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.62 $11.62

$9.84 ¥68.1

18.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.37 $45.37

$11.49 ¥79.5

294.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.18 $43.18

$40.28 ¥279

7.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 $15.24

$14.78 ¥102

3.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 $8.32

$6.41 ¥44.37

29.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$108 $108

$403 ¥2,791

-73.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,153 $2,153

$17.9K ¥123.6K

-87.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.28 $23.28

$45.91 ¥318

-49.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 $28.82

$32.39 ¥224

-11.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 $64.4

$71.2 ¥493

-9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.1 $85.1

$74.0 ¥512

15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$97.9 $97.9

$436 ¥3,017

-77.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 $108

$254 ¥1,755

-57.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 $1,457

$900 ¥6,228

61.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 $220

$548 ¥3,792

-59.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,773 $1,773

$5,140 ¥35.6K

-65.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,441 $1,441

$2,676 ¥18.5K

-46.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$242 $242

$1,024 ¥7,089

-76.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.11

4.06

75.12%

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

Last update for North Korea: March 2, 2026

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and China Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and China

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

North Korea

China

North Korea

China

Similar countries

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇨🇳 China

🇺🇦 Ukraine

🇵🇭 Philippines

🇲🇦 Morocco

🇮🇶 Iraq

🇧🇾 Belarus

🇵🇪 Peru