Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: North Korea is 31.1% cheaper than Hong Kong without rent, and 72% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: North Korea is 38.3% cheaper than Hong Kong without rent, and 70.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 $2.75
$8.46 HK$66.4
-67.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.54 $22.54
$63.2 HK$496
-64.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.33 $19.33
$6.20 HK$48.66
211.77%
Cappuccino
$1.09 $1.09
$4.90 HK$38.42
-77.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.27 HK$10.01
77.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.06 HK$8.31
20.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.50 $13.50
$7.68 HK$60.3
75.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$6.28 HK$49.24
-44.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$2.86 HK$22.45
-68.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 $2.52
$2.43 HK$19.10
3.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$2.18 HK$17.09
-28.44%
Eggs
$2.89 $2.89
$3.54 HK$27.80
-18.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$25.12 HK$197
-80.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 $3.86
$8.89 HK$69.8
-56.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$17.63 HK$138
-68.80%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 $6.12
$4.11 HK$32.23
48.91%
Banana (1kg)
$5.13 $5.13
$2.72 HK$21.32
88.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.28 $2.28
$4.59 HK$36.05
-50.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$4.02 HK$31.52
-45.77%
Potato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$3.25 HK$25.50
39.38%
Onion (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$3.27 HK$25.70
38.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.60 HK$12.54
41.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 $0.46
$1.73 HK$13.56
-73.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52 $4.52
$13.14 HK$103
-65.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$16.59 HK$130
-52.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 $1.15
$2.01 HK$15.80
-42.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$2.18 HK$17.13
-
🚌 Getting Around
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 $1.00
$1.44 HK$11.31
-30.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.72 $38.72
$89.1 HK$699
-56.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 $1.52
$3.64 HK$28.54
-58.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.31 HK$10.29
71.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 $39.80
$15.82 HK$124
151.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.71 $0.71
$4.06 HK$31.89
-82.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K $22.2K
$44.4K HK$348.2K
-49.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$37.4K HK$293.2K
-25.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.64 $33.64
$247 HK$1,942
-86.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.23 $11.23
$15.89 HK$125
-29.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.44 $45.44
$21.46 HK$168
111.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.4 $59.4
$91.4 HK$717
-34.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.41 $14.41
$9.08 HK$71.3
58.70%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 $7.78
$13.96 HK$110
-44.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$106 $106
$1,155 HK$9,068
-90.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,149 $2,149
$22.3K HK$174.6K
-90.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.12 $22.12
$68.9 HK$541
-67.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.19 $28.19
$40.44 HK$317
-30.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.9 $62.9
$79.9 HK$627
-21.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 $84.7
$118 HK$923
-27.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$97.2 $97.2
$2,180 HK$17.1K
-95.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 $104
$1,718 HK$13.5K
-93.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 $1,399
$5,047 HK$39.6K
-72.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$208 $208
$3,543 HK$27.8K
-94.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,684 $1,684
$29.1K HK$228.7K
-94.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,392 $1,392
$17.6K HK$137.9K
-92.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Korea
Hong Kong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$232 $232
$3,228 HK$25.3K
-92.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.11
3.91
81.84%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
North Korea
$247
Hong Kong
$415 67.8% $168
Eating Out
North Korea
$182
Hong Kong
$205 13% $24
Accommodation & Living
North Korea
$104
Hong Kong
$1.7K 1557% $1.6K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
$90
Hong Kong
$285 215% $194
Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
$89
Hong Kong
$138 55% $49
Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
$75
Hong Kong
$119 59.1% $44
Getting Around
North Korea
$56
Hong Kong
$105 89.2% $50
Good to know
🇰🇵 North Korea
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🕒 Local time
14:57 2:57 PM
13:57 1:57 PM
1 h behind North Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,418,204
1,367,900 Capital
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, EUR to USD – USD Converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • North Korea Hong Kong 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • North Korea
  • Hong Kong

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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