Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karachi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $483 in Karachi.

Athens $1,771
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $754 in Karachi.

Athens $2,736
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Athens $3,701
Karachi $1,025

Living in Athens is roughly 267% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Karachi is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$2.11 PKR 585

697.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$13.73 PKR 3,801

397.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$5.53 PKR 1,531

106.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.14 PKR 593

89.72%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$0.40 PKR 111

585.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.28 PKR 77.7

89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.90 PKR 250

105.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.55 PKR 153

161.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.20 PKR 333

135.00%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$1.25 PKR 346

288.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$5.96 PKR 1,650

156.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$3.19 PKR 883

224.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$6.48 PKR 1,793

194.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.24 PKR 344

79.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.53 PKR 147

262.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.03 PKR 284

36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.51 PKR 142

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.31 PKR 85.1

238.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.31 PKR 87.1

277.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.41 PKR 113

163.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.44 PKR 120

90.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$1.83 PKR 508

200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.28 PKR 76.8

389.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$9.81 PKR 2,716

202.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$0.87 PKR 240

404.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.74 PKR 204

35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$2.23 PKR 617

645.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.38 PKR 383

72.46%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

54.76%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

2.92%

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

$203 €181

$113 PKR 31.4K

79.57%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$6.12 PKR 1,694

337.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$13.11 PKR 3,628

130.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$21.78 PKR 6,029

146.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$18.27 PKR 5,058

44.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$4.26 PKR 1,179

148.59%

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

$566 €504

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

987.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

562.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$17.53 PKR 4,852

408.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$22.88 PKR 6,332

76.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

52.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

199.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$118 PKR 32.5K

519.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

784.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$360 PKR 99.6K

269.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$188 PKR 52.1K

520.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

271.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$474 PKR 131.2K

634.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$182 PKR 50.4K

581.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

13.21

-66.09%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 88.7% $574

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 67.3% $210

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 77.1% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 49.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Karachi

$68 14% 58% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 59.5% $45

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 65.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 581% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

3 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Karachi 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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

Athens vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 267% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 581% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Athens versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $483 in Karachi – a 267% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $483 in Karachi versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Karachi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $483 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Karachi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Karachi 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 Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.