Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pyongyang and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Pyongyang: $426 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 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
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Pyongyang

🇰🇵 North Korea

$426

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pyongyang and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Pyongyang versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Pyongyang $426
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $696 in Pyongyang versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Pyongyang $696
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $965 in Pyongyang versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Pyongyang $965
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Pyongyang costs roughly 85% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pyongyang is 68% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 $4.93

$17.75 A$25.40

-72.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.47 $36.47

$84.8 A$121

-57.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$21.96 $21.96

$12.16 A$17.40

80.59%

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$3.93 A$5.62

-71.25%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$3.14 A$4.49

-30.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.43 A$3.47

-47.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.69 $13.69

$9.90 A$14.17

38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 $4.83

$8.29 A$11.86

-41.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 A$2.21

-40.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 $2.37

$3.01 A$4.31

-21.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.88 A$4.12

-68.40%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$5.44 A$7.79

-61.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

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

$233 A$333

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

$27.28 A$39.04

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 $75.9

$52.7 A$75.4

44.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

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

$2,373 A$3,397

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$91.0 $91.0

$1,713 A$2,451

-94.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 $89.7

$1,402 A$2,006

-93.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 $135

$2,529 A$3,619

-94.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$250 $250

$4,228 A$6,051

-94.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Pyongyang: October 3, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Pyongyang

$211 50%

Melbourne

$314 11% 48.9% $103

Accommodation & Living

Pyongyang

$90 21.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 1462% $1.3K

Sport & Entertainment

Pyongyang

$76 * 18%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 14.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Pyongyang

$45 * 10.7%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 758% $340

Getting Around

Pyongyang

- * 0%

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pyongyang

- * 0%

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Pyongyang

- * 0%

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $91.0 in Pyongyang and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1588% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Pyongyang vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $45.00 vs $385 per month, with Pyongyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇵 Pyongyang

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

2 h ahead of Pyongyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,255,288 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

USD USD

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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 = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pyongyang Melbourne 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pyongyang
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pyongyang and Melbourne differ by about 569% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $2,852 including rent). Pyongyang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1588% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $91.0 in Pyongyang versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pyongyang – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Pyongyang versus $2,852 in Melbourne – a 569% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $426 in Pyongyang versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pyongyang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Pyongyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pyongyang and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pyongyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 569% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.