Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $838 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇰🇵 North Korea

$838

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $838 per month in North Korea vs $1,775 in Spain, rent included.

North Korea $838
Spain $1,775

A couple spends around $1,313 per month in North Korea vs $2,606 in Spain, rent included.

North Korea $1,313
Spain $2,606

A family of three spends $1,788 per month in North Korea vs $3,438 in Spain, rent included.

North Korea $1,788
Spain $3,438

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($931–$2,610) than in North Korea ($415–$709), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in North Korea is roughly 53% lower than in Spain on average.

North Korea sits 38% below the global median, while Spain is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 $2.86

$16.69 €14.89

-82.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 $22.87

$55.7 €49.69

-58.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.38 $19.38

$11.37 €10.14

70.45%

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$2.42 €2.16

-54.96%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$2.68 €2.39

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.79 €1.60

-32.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.17 $13.17

$3.42 €3.06

285.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.88 €3.46

-11.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.20 €1.07

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.48 €1.32

66.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.67 €1.49

-6.59%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$3.42 €3.05

-12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$14.17 €12.64

-64.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$8.33 €7.43

-53.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$16.20 €14.46

-64.94%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.45 €2.19

147.76%

Banana (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.03 €1.81

143.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.08 €1.85

5.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.58 €2.30

-12.40%

Potato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.83 €1.63

143.17%

Onion (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.00 €1.79

124.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.31 €1.17

69.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 $0.46

$0.77 €0.69

-40.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 $4.54

$6.36 €5.68

-28.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

$5.64 €5.03

37.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.09 €1.86

4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.64 €1.47

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.76 $38.76

$32.91 €29.36

17.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$4.43 €3.95

-66.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.47 €1.31

48.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.90 $40.90

$24.98 €22.29

63.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.77 €1.58

-60.45%

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

$22.2K $22.2K

$35.5K €31.7K

-37.50%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$30.6K €27.3K

-8.73%

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

$34.10 $34.10

$149 €133

-77.16%

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

$10.98 $10.98

$17.67 €15.77

-37.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 $44.81

$31.88 €28.44

40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 $58.2

$44.24 €39.47

31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 $14.76

$15.29 €13.64

-3.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 $7.90

$9.66 €8.62

-18.22%

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

$105 $105

$544 €486

-80.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,086 $2,086

$10.6K €9,463

-80.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.90 $21.90

$84.9 €75.8

-74.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.28 $28.28

$37.11 €33.11

-23.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 $60.7

$89.2 €79.6

-31.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 $83.1

$106 €94.3

-21.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.9 $93.9

$1,056 €943

-91.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 $106

$808 €721

-86.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 $1,404

$1,621 €1,446

-13.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 $205

$1,246 €1,112

-83.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,698 $1,698

$4,135 €3,690

-58.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 $1,380

$2,633 €2,349

-47.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$230 $230

$1,999 €1,784

-88.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.11

3.3

115.45%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 26, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

North Korea

$246 29.3%

Spain

$272 15.3% 10.5% $26

Eating Out

North Korea

$180 21.5%

Spain

$239 13.5% 32.6% $59

Accommodation & Living

North Korea

$106 12.6%

Spain

$808 45.5% 666% $702

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Korea

$90 10.7%

Spain

$199 11.2% 121% $109

Clothing & Footwear

North Korea

$87 10.4%

Spain

$143 8% 63.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

North Korea

$74 8.8%

Spain

$64 3.6% 14.1% $10

Getting Around

North Korea

$55 6.6%

Spain

$51 2.9% 7.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $89 in North Korea vs $920 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $88 in Pyongyang and $1,508 in Madrid.

Average salary: $228 in North Korea vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 934% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 97% more in Spain.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in North Korea.

Salaries are about 8.6 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇰🇵 North Korea

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

8 h behind North Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,418,204

47,415,750

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

North Korea Spain 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

North Korea
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Korea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 53% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $920 versus $89 in North Korea.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in North Korea, but in Spain it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

North Korea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.