Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: North Korea is 6.6% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 29.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: North Korea is 0.6% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 36.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 $2.75
$4.35 ฿146
-36.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.54 $22.54
$32.45 ฿1,087
-30.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.33 $19.33
$8.42 ฿282
129.57%
Cappuccino
$1.09 $1.09
$2.81 ฿94.0
-61.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$0.87 ฿29.29
158.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 $1.28
$0.46 ฿15.39
178.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.50 $13.50
$2.59 ฿86.6
421.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$3.64 ฿122
-4.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$1.71 ฿57.2
-47.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.45 ฿48.42
73.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.56 ฿52.3
-
Eggs
$2.89 $2.89
$2.10 ฿70.3
37.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$19.53 ฿654
-74.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 $3.86
$3.40 ฿114
13.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$11.14 ฿373
-50.63%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 $6.12
$2.83 ฿94.8
116.25%
Banana (1kg)
$5.13 $5.13
$1.62 ฿54.3
216.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.28 $2.28
$2.22 ฿74.5
2.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$2.15 ฿71.9
1.40%
Potato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$1.49 ฿49.95
204.03%
Onion (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$1.33 ฿44.40
240.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.07 ฿35.72
111.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 $0.46
$0.51 ฿17.01
-9.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52 $4.52
$4.38 ฿147
3.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$18.77 ฿629
-57.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 $1.15
$1.74 ฿58.3
-33.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$2.78 ฿92.9
-21.58%
🚌 Getting Around
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.17 ฿72.6
-53.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.72 $38.72
$22.28 ฿746
73.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 $1.52
$3.02 ฿101
-49.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.06 ฿35.43
112.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 $39.80
$3.71 ฿124
972.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.71 $0.71
$1.43 ฿47.88
-50.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K $22.2K
$26.3K ฿882.1K
-15.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$26.2K ฿877.3K
6.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.64 $33.64
$96.7 ฿3,236
-65.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.23 $11.23
$11.41 ฿382
-1.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.44 $45.44
$17.11 ฿573
165.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.4 $59.4
$52.8 ฿1,768
12.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.41 $14.41
$11.07 ฿371
30.17%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 $7.78
$7.65 ฿256
1.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$106 $106
$555 ฿18.6K
-80.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,149 $2,149
$11.3K ฿377.7K
-80.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.12 $22.12
$63.4 ฿2,123
-65.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.19 $28.19
$28.61 ฿958
-1.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.9 $62.9
$96.7 ฿3,238
-34.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 $84.7
$88.6 ฿2,967
-4.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$97.2 $97.2
$735 ฿24.6K
-86.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 $104
$458 ฿15.3K
-77.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 $1,399
$2,102 ฿70.4K
-33.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$208 $208
$1,187 ฿39.7K
-82.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,684 $1,684
$3,493 ฿116.9K
-51.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,392 $1,392
$2,491 ฿83.4K
-44.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Korea
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$232 $232
$501 ฿16.8K
-53.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.11
5.57
27.65%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
North Korea
$247
Phuket
$268 8.4% $21
Eating Out
North Korea
$182
Phuket
$119 34.3% $62
Accommodation & Living
North Korea
$104
Phuket
$458 342% $354
Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
$90
Phuket
$125 38.6% $35
Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
$89
Phuket
$125 40.1% $36
Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
$75
Phuket
$68 9.2% $6.9
Getting Around
North Korea
$56
Phuket
$39 29.3% $16
Good to know
🇰🇵 North Korea
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
14:34 2:34 PM
12:34 12:34 PM
2 h behind North Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,418,204
79,308
💱 Currency
USD USD
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

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

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • North Korea Phuket 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • North Korea
  • Phuket

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

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