Hamhŭng

Cost of Living inHamhŭng, North Korea

South Hamgyong, North Korea559KLow incomeRemote-work friendly

Image credit: Clay Gilliland

Purchasing Power

Unavailable for now

We do not show a purchasing-power multiplier here yet because we do not have defensible PPP data for this country.

Income Category

Low
World Bank GNI

City Population

559K

Child Education

Public-schooling rules and international-school pricing are not sourced for North Korea yet. Quality, expat-access, instruction language, and tuition will appear here once verified.

Childcare & Domestic Help

Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Hamhŭng. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.

Getting Around

Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Hamhŭng is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.

Healthcare

System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in North Korea.

Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.

1 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 2 months ago

Healthcare system

Strong

Good national coverage, strong doctor availability, and solid hospital-bed capacity support this rating.

Public care

Mixed

Relatively low patient cost-sharing help, but public funding looks lighter.

Private care

Limited

The tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.

UHC coverage

77/100

2023

Physicians

3.63/1k

2017

Hospital beds

12.8/1k

2018

Out of pocket

0%

2025

Outcome signals

Life expectancy

73.7 yrs

2024

Maternal mortality

67/100k

2023

Neonatal mortality

8.9/1k

2024

International patient readiness

Limited

Price transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.

Pricing transparency

Limited

Published self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.

Facility coverage

Hospital: 1

Self-pay pricing visibility

No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in North Korea yet.

This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.

Notable facilities

함경남도인민병원
Hospital · Emergency

System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01

Safety & Governance

City-level perceived-crime data is not sourced for Hamhŭng yet. Showing North Korea national safety and governance signals until a matched city row lands.

Street Safety

Safety Index30/100
Crime Index70/100

Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.

Political Stability

Political Stability-0.34

World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.

Wages by Sector

SectorMedian
Administrative & Support Services
Agriculture & Farming
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Construction
Education
Finance & Insurance
Healthcare & Social Work
Hospitality & Food Service
Information & Technology
Manufacturing
Mining & Quarrying
Other Services
Professional & Scientific Services
Real Estate
Retail & Wholesale Trade
Transport & Logistics
Utilities

2024 annual wages in Hamhŭng, North Korea · Source: GDP-derived estimate (national)

Price Comparison vs. US

budget hotel
$40.00Estimated10% more
International School (Annual)
$3000.00Estimated90% cheaper
luxury hotel
$150.00Estimated69% cheaper

Visa Information (US passport)

Short-stay entry

visa required

US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.

About Hamhŭng

Hamhŭng is the second-largest city in North Korea, on the country's east coast in South Hamgyong Province, historically an industrial center for chemicals, fertilizers, and machine building tied to the Hungnam complex. The surrounding area suffered heavily during the 1990s famine and remains economically constrained by sanctions, central planning, and chronic energy shortages. For any non-DPRK national, relocation is effectively impossible: the country admits only a small number of diplomats, aid workers under specific agreements, and tightly chaperoned business visitors, and Hamhŭng itself is rarely accessible to foreigners. Korean is exclusive and internet access is nonexistent for residents. List this city for completeness rather than as a viable destination.

Internet access: Severely restricted, only elite allowed access to limited intranetExpat community: Virtually non-existent for independent residentsAccessibility: Extremely difficult - requires special government approval and guidesClimate: Cold winters, warm summers (continental climate)Walkability: Limited transportation infrastructure, most movement by foot or state-controlled transitSafety: Stable but under authoritarian control with restrictions on movementCoworking: No facilities existFood scene: Basic Korean cuisine available, limited variety due to economic conditions