Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $838 a month against $1,212 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Turkey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in North Korea
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North Korea Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index

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🇰🇵 North Korea

$838

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $838 per month in North Korea vs $1,212 in Turkey, rent included.

North Korea $838
Turkey $1,212

A couple spends around $1,313 per month in North Korea vs $1,844 in Turkey, rent included.

North Korea $1,313
Turkey $1,844

A family of three spends $1,788 per month in North Korea vs $2,475 in Turkey, rent included.

North Korea $1,788
Turkey $2,475

The regional cost range is wider in Turkey ($656–$1,765) than in North Korea ($415–$709), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in North Korea is roughly 31% lower than in Turkey on average.

Both North Korea and Turkey are more affordable than the global median – North Korea 38% lower, Turkey 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 $2.86

$9.14 ₺457

-68.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 $22.87

$40.12 ₺2,005

-43.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.38 $19.38

$8.91 ₺445

117.51%

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$3.75 ₺187

-70.93%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$1.47 ₺73.5

50.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.56 ₺27.73

116.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.17 $13.17

$3.84 ₺192

242.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.91 ₺246

-30.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.02 ₺51.2

-13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.00 ₺50.1

147.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.20 ₺110

-29.09%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.21 ₺111

35.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$9.72 ₺486

-48.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.86 ₺243

-19.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$20.09 ₺1,004

-71.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.86 ₺92.7

226.34%

Banana (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.98 ₺99.2

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.06 ₺53.2

107.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.36 ₺68.0

66.18%

Potato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$0.54 ₺26.93

724.07%

Onion (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$0.45 ₺22.37

897.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.00 ₺49.74

122.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 $0.46

$0.69 ₺34.32

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.26 ₺113

100.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

$11.91 ₺595

-34.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.24 ₺112

-49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.85 ₺142

-23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.76 ₺38.11

31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.76 $38.76

$39.49 ₺1,973

-1.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.42 ₺71.1

3.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.84 ₺41.76

160.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.90 $40.90

$7.98 ₺399

412.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.38 ₺69.0

-49.28%

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

$22.2K $22.2K

$41.6K ₺2.1M

-46.68%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-30.74%

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

$34.10 $34.10

$75.0 ₺3,746

-54.51%

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

$10.98 $10.98

$10.38 ₺519

5.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 $44.81

$15.56 ₺777

187.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 $58.2

$55.2 ₺2,760

5.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 $14.76

$21.01 ₺1,050

-29.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 $7.90

$6.87 ₺343

14.99%

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

$105 $105

$680 ₺34.0K

-84.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,086 $2,086

$15.9K ₺794.5K

-86.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.90 $21.90

$54.7 ₺2,731

-59.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.28 $28.28

$42.98 ₺2,148

-34.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 $60.7

$102 ₺5,087

-40.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 $83.1

$93.9 ₺4,689

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.9 $93.9

$614 ₺30.7K

-84.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$106 $106

$441 ₺22.0K

-76.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 $1,404

$1,011 ₺50.5K

38.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 $205

$703 ₺35.1K

-70.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,698 $1,698

$1,710 ₺85.4K

-0.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 $1,380

$1,115 ₺55.7K

23.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$230 $230

$1,061 ₺53.0K

-78.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.11

41.67

-82.94%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 26, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

North Korea

$246 29.3%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 2.6% $6.4

Eating Out

North Korea

$180 21.5%

Turkey

$182 15% 0.8% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

North Korea

$106 12.6%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 318% $335

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Korea

$90 10.7%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 12.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

North Korea

$87 10.4%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 51.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

North Korea

$74 8.8%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 6.8% $5

Getting Around

North Korea

$55 6.6%

Turkey

$48 4% 12.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $89 in North Korea vs $446 in Turkey. For reference, capital cities sit at $88 in Pyongyang and $765 in Ankara.

Average salary: $228 in North Korea vs $1,034 in Turkey. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 401% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 17% more in Turkey.

Public transport is 15% more expensive in North Korea.

Salaries are about 4.5 times higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.

Good to know

🇰🇵 North Korea

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

6 h behind North Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,418,204

85,372,377

💱 Currency

USD USD

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 49.97 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

TRY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

North Korea Turkey 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

North Korea
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Korea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 31% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Turkey: a central one-bedroom averages $446 versus $89 in North Korea.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in North Korea, but in Turkey 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.