Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $838 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in North Korea
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North Korea Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇰🇵 North Korea

$838

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in North Korea and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in North Korea and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $838 in North Korea versus $1,843 in Italy.

North Korea $838
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in North Korea versus $2,816 in Italy.

North Korea $1,313
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,788 in North Korea versus $3,788 in Italy.

North Korea $1,788
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $415–$709 in North Korea. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in North Korea costs about 55% less than in Italy on average.

North Korea (38% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 $2.86

$20.46 €18.35

-86.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 $22.87

$79.5 €71.3

-71.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.38 $19.38

$11.15 €10.00

73.81%

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$2.04 €1.83

-46.57%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$3.10 €2.78

-28.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.40 €1.25

-13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.17 $13.17

$5.51 €4.95

139.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$5.74 €5.15

-40.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.57 €1.41

-43.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.38 €2.14

3.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.90 €2.60

-46.21%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$4.07 €3.65

-26.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$17.44 €15.64

-71.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$12.56 €11.26

-69.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$20.17 €18.09

-71.84%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.58 €2.32

135.27%

Banana (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.19 €1.96

126.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.68 €2.40

-17.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.27 €2.93

-30.89%

Potato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.90 €1.71

134.21%

Onion (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.82 €1.63

146.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.57 €1.41

41.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 $0.46

$0.55 €0.49

-16.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 $4.54

$6.69 €6.00

-32.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

$7.99 €7.16

-2.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.77 €1.59

-36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.35 €2.11

-7.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.91 €1.71

-47.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.76 $38.76

$43.44 €38.96

-10.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$5.62 €5.04

-73.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.71 €1.54

28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.90 $40.90

$33.64 €30.17

21.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$2.03 €1.82

-65.52%

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

$22.2K $22.2K

$35.3K €31.7K

-37.12%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$36.7K €33.0K

-23.97%

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

$34.10 $34.10

$227 €203

-84.95%

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

$10.98 $10.98

$11.59 €10.40

-5.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 $44.81

$30.38 €27.25

47.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 $58.2

$51.8 €46.44

12.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 $14.76

$23.70 €21.26

-37.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 $7.90

$10.60 €9.51

-25.47%

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

$105 $105

$568 €509

-81.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,086 $2,086

$11.5K €10.3K

-81.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.90 $21.90

$90.5 €81.2

-75.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.28 $28.28

$38.55 €34.58

-26.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 $60.7

$103 €92.1

-40.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 $83.1

$131 €118

-36.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.9 $93.9

$826 €740

-88.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 $106

$646 €580

-83.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 $1,404

$1,400 €1,256

0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 $205

$1,054 €946

-80.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,698 $1,698

$3,662 €3,285

-53.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 $1,380

$2,301 €2,064

-40.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$230 $230

$1,886 €1,692

-87.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.11

3.56

99.72%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

North Korea

$246 29.3%

Italy

$348 18.9% 41.5% $102

Eating Out

North Korea

$180 21.5%

Italy

$279 15.1% 54.4% $98

Accommodation & Living

North Korea

$106 12.6%

Italy

$646 35.1% 512% $541

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Korea

$90 10.7%

Italy

$269 14.6% 199% $179

Clothing & Footwear

North Korea

$87 10.4%

Italy

$163 8.9% 87% $76

Sport & Entertainment

North Korea

$74 8.8%

Italy

$73 4% 1.4% $1

Getting Around

North Korea

$55 6.6%

Italy

$65 3.5% 18.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $89 in North Korea, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $88 in Pyongyang vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $228 in North Korea, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 719% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 152% more in Italy.

Salaries are about 8.3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇰🇵 North Korea

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

10:28 10:28 AM

8 h behind North Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,418,204

58,850,717

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

North Korea Italy 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

North Korea
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $838 in North Korea, there’s a 120% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in North Korea: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $89 in North Korea. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In North Korea, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: North Korea wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.