Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and North Korea

Name: North Korea
Address: KP

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.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in North Korea
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North Korea Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇰🇵 North Korea

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Spain $1,775
North Korea $838

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

Spain $2,606
North Korea $1,313

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

Spain $3,438
North Korea $1,788

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 Spain is about 112% higher than in North Korea on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.91

$2.86 $2.86

483.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.75

$22.87 $22.87

143.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.15

$19.38 $19.38

-41.33%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.16

$1.09 $1.09

122.02%

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

$2.68 €2.39

$2.21 $2.21

21.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.21 $1.21

47.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$13.17 $13.17

-74.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.42 $3.42

13.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.88 $0.88

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.47 $2.47

-40.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.56 $1.56

7.05%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$2.99 $2.99

14.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.66

$5.04 $5.04

181.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.44

$3.89 $3.89

114.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.47

$5.68 $5.68

185.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$6.07 $6.07

-59.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$4.95 $4.95

-58.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.20 $2.20

-5.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.26 $2.26

14.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$4.45 $4.45

-58.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$4.49 $4.49

-55.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.22 $2.22

-40.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.46 $0.46

67.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.68

$4.54 $4.54

40.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$7.76 $7.76

-27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.13 $1.13

15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.18 $2.18

-4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.00 $1.00

64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.40

$38.76 $38.76

-15.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.95

$1.47 $1.47

201.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.19 $2.19

-32.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.32

$40.90 $40.90

-38.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.70 $0.70

152.86%

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

$35.5K €31.7K

$22.2K $22.2K

60.00%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$27.9K $27.9K

9.57%

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

$149 €133

$34.10 $34.10

337.77%

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

$17.67 €15.79

$10.98 $10.98

60.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.48

$44.81 $44.81

-28.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.51

$58.2 $58.2

-24.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.66

$14.76 $14.76

3.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.63

$7.90 $7.90

22.28%

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

$544 €486

$105 $105

419.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,473

$2,086 $2,086

408.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €75.8

$21.90 $21.90

287.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.15

$28.28 $28.28

31.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.7

$60.7 $60.7

46.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.5

$83.1 $83.1

27.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €944

$93.9 $93.9

1025.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €722

$106 $106

665.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,448

$1,404 $1,404

15.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,113

$205 $205

508.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,694

$1,698 $1,698

143.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,351

$1,380 $1,380

90.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,786

$230 $230

769.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

7.11

-53.59%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for North Korea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

North Korea

$106 12.6% 86.9% $702

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

North Korea

$246 29.3% 9.5% $26

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

North Korea

$180 21.5% 24.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

North Korea

$90 10.7% 54.8% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

North Korea

$87 10.4% 38.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

North Korea

$74 8.8% 16.5% $10

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

North Korea

$55 6.6% 7.6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $228 in North Korea. 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

🇪🇸 Spain

🇰🇵 North Korea

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

8 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

26,418,204

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Spain
North Korea

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

Spain vs North Korea: 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.