Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pyongyang and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Pyongyang: $426 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

12

Cost of Living Index in Pyongyang
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Pyongyang Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Pyongyang

🇰🇵 North Korea

$426

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pyongyang and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $426 per month in Pyongyang vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Pyongyang $426
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $696 per month in Pyongyang vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Pyongyang $696
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $965 per month in Pyongyang vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Pyongyang $965
Hong Kong $6,132

Pyongyang is about 86% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pyongyang sits 68% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 123% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 $4.93

$8.46 HK$66.4

-41.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.47 $36.47

$63.2 HK$496

-42.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$21.96 $21.96

$6.20 HK$48.66

254.19%

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$4.90 HK$38.41

-76.94%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.27 HK$10.01

72.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.06 HK$8.31

20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.69 $13.69

$7.68 HK$60.3

78.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 $4.83

$6.28 HK$49.24

-23.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.86 HK$22.45

-67.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.43 HK$19.10

-2.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.18 HK$17.09

-58.26%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$3.54 HK$27.80

-41.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

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

$247 HK$1,942

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

$15.89 HK$125

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 $75.9

$91.4 HK$717

-16.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$91.0 $91.0

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-95.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 $89.7

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-94.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 $135

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-96.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$250 $250

$3,228 HK$25.3K

-92.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

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

Last update for Pyongyang: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Pyongyang

$211 50%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 2.6% $5.6

Accommodation & Living

Pyongyang

$90 21.3%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 1815% $1.6K

Sport & Entertainment

Pyongyang

$76 * 18%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 57.2% $43

Groceries & Markets

Pyongyang

$45 * 10.7%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 824% $370

Getting Around

Pyongyang

- * 0%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pyongyang

- * 0%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Pyongyang

- * 0%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $91.0 in Pyongyang versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1189% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Pyongyang versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $45.00 vs $415 – making Pyongyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇵 Pyongyang

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h behind Pyongyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,255,288 Capital

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

HKD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Pyongyang Hong Kong 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pyongyang
Hong Kong

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated June 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Pyongyang vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $426 in Pyongyang, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 600% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $639 per month in Pyongyang and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pyongyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Pyongyang and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $426 in Pyongyang and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 600%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pyongyang, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Pyongyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $426 in Pyongyang to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Pyongyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.