Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: North Korea is 41.6% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 70.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: North Korea is 46.6% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 68.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 $2.75
$17.75 A$25.40
-84.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.54 $22.54
$84.8 A$121
-73.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.33 $19.33
$12.16 A$17.40
58.96%
Cappuccino
$1.09 $1.09
$3.93 A$5.62
-72.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$3.14 A$4.49
-28.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 $1.28
$2.43 A$3.47
-47.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.50 $13.50
$9.90 A$14.17
36.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$8.29 A$11.86
-58.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$1.55 A$2.21
-41.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 $2.52
$3.01 A$4.31
-16.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$2.88 A$4.12
-45.83%
Eggs
$2.89 $2.89
$5.44 A$7.79
-46.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$10.59 A$15.16
-53.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 $3.86
$9.61 A$13.76
-59.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$14.99 A$21.46
-63.31%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 $6.12
$4.15 A$5.94
47.47%
Banana (1kg)
$5.13 $5.13
$3.05 A$4.37
68.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.28 $2.28
$3.30 A$4.72
-30.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$4.76 A$6.81
-54.20%
Potato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$3.04 A$4.34
49.01%
Onion (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$2.55 A$3.65
77.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$2.48 A$3.55
-8.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 $0.46
$1.63 A$2.33
-71.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52 $4.52
$44.07 A$63.1
-89.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$12.43 A$17.79
-36.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 $1.15
$5.33 A$7.63
-78.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$5.16 A$7.38
-57.75%
🚌 Getting Around
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 $1.00
$3.84 A$5.50
-73.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.72 $38.72
$142 A$203
-72.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 $1.52
$4.40 A$6.29
-65.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.40 A$2.01
60.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 $39.80
$29.83 A$42.69
33.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.71 $0.71
$1.46 A$2.09
-51.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K $22.2K
$28.1K A$40.3K
-21.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$25.9K A$37.1K
7.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.64 $33.64
$233 A$333
-85.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.23 $11.23
$27.28 A$39.04
-58.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.44 $45.44
$57.0 A$81.6
-20.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.4 $59.4
$52.7 A$75.4
12.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.41 $14.41
$22.62 A$32.37
-36.30%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 $7.78
$17.10 A$24.48
-54.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$106 $106
$2,373 A$3,397
-95.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,149 $2,149
$30.5K A$43.6K
-92.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.12 $22.12
$78.2 A$112
-71.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.19 $28.19
$50.5 A$72.2
-44.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.9 $62.9
$121 A$172
-47.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 $84.7
$133 A$191
-36.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$97.2 $97.2
$1,713 A$2,451
-94.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 $104
$1,402 A$2,006
-92.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 $1,399
$3,339 A$4,778
-58.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$208 $208
$2,529 A$3,619
-91.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,684 $1,684
$7,018 A$10.0K
-76.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,392 $1,392
$6,767 A$9,685
-79.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$232 $232
$4,228 A$6,051
-94.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.11
5.9
20.51%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
North Korea
$247
Melbourne
$385 55.9% $138
Eating Out
North Korea
$182
Melbourne
$314 72.8% $132
Accommodation & Living
North Korea
$104
Melbourne
$1.4K 1252% $1.3K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
$90
Melbourne
$317 251% $227
Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
$89
Melbourne
$172 93.2% $83
Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
$75
Melbourne
$87 15.9% $12
Getting Around
North Korea
$56
Melbourne
$168 203% $113
Good to know
🇰🇵 North Korea
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🕒 Local time
19:28 7:28 PM
21:28 9:28 PM
2 h ahead of North Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,418,204
5,031,195
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – USD Converter

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

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • North Korea Melbourne 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • North Korea
  • Melbourne

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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