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 35% more expensive than China without rent, and 4.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: North Korea is 25.3% more expensive than China without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$2.77 ¥19.31

5.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.62 $23.62

$24.14 ¥169

-2.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 $12.85

$4.75 ¥33.15

170.53%

Cappuccino

$1.14 $1.14

$3.02 ¥21.06

-62.25%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$0.44 ¥3.06

411.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 $1.19

$0.27 ¥1.87

340.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.73 $13.73

$0.96 ¥6.67

1330.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.04 ¥14.21

45.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.75 ¥12.21

-46.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.69 ¥11.79

25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.98 ¥6.85

70.41%

Eggs

$2.41 $2.41

$1.60 ¥11.19

50.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$13.34 ¥93.1

-65.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.27 ¥22.82

-27.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$10.63 ¥74.2

-46.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.86 $6.86

$1.74 ¥12.16

294.25%

Banana (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.26 ¥8.76

270.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.45 ¥10.13

58.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.19 ¥8.28

91.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.73 ¥5.08

389.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$0.86 ¥5.99

312.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.62 ¥4.30

274.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 $0.44

$0.53 ¥3.71

-16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.44 ¥24.03

36.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 $8.15

$11.63 ¥81.2

-29.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.84 ¥5.88

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.62 ¥11.30

45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 $1.06

$0.44 ¥3.07

140.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.31 $40.31

$20.71 ¥145

94.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.42 ¥9.91

11.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.33 ¥2.27

536.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.18 $41.18

$6.51 ¥45.42

532.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.17 ¥8.19

-38.46%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$19.2K ¥133.9K

22.42%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$16.6K ¥116.1K

70.54%

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

$34.07 $34.07

$51.4 ¥359

-33.73%

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

$11.55 $11.55

$9.63 ¥67.2

19.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.59 $45.59

$11.22 ¥78.3

306.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.05 $44.05

$39.09 ¥273

12.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.30 $15.30

$14.70 ¥103

4.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 $8.29

$6.14 ¥42.89

35.02%

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

$110 $110

$416 ¥2,905

-73.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,185 $2,185

$17.9K ¥125.0K

-87.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.02 $23.02

$45.24 ¥316

-49.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 $29.29

$32.59 ¥228

-10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 $64.8

$73.0 ¥509

-11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 $85.5

$72.8 ¥508

17.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$96.8 $96.8

$432 ¥3,018

-77.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 $108

$253 ¥1,767

-57.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 $1,445

$923 ¥6,441

56.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 $212

$546 ¥3,811

-61.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,772 $1,772

$5,324 ¥37.2K

-66.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,423 $1,423

$2,784 ¥19.4K

-48.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 $239

$1,037 ¥7,240

-76.95%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Similar countries

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇨🇳 China

🇺🇦 Ukraine

🇵🇭 Philippines

🇲🇦 Morocco

🇮🇶 Iraq

🇧🇾 Belarus

🇵🇪 Peru