Retiring in North Korea in 2026: Cost of Living, Healthcare, and Expat Guide
North Korea is one of the least accessible countries for foreign retirees. In practice, retirement migration is not a normal pathway, so this guide is an analytical reference based on limited publicly available data.
Cost of Living in North Korea (2026)
| Lifestyle | Monthly Cost (USD) | Annual Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / Low | $633 | $7,600 |
| Comfortable / Medium | $1,125 | $13,500 |
| Luxury / High | $1,833 | $22,000 |
Index snapshot used in database: Cost of Living 51.9, Food 27.0, Rent 25.7, Healthcare 56.5.
Healthcare
Healthcare access for foreigners is highly constrained and context-dependent. Reliable open data is sparse, so healthcare costs should be treated as directional only.
Retirement Visa / Legal Considerations
North Korea does not operate a typical retirement visa regime used by expat destinations. Entry and long stays are tightly controlled.
Limited Data Note
Because search API access was unavailable and independent public datasets are limited, this update keeps prior numeric values and marks the country unverified for this cycle.
Citations
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=North+Korea | https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea