Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $490 in Karachi.

Austin, TX $2,704
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $755 in Karachi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Austin, TX $5,562
Karachi $1,019

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 452% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Karachi is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.15 PKR 596

840.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$13.37 PKR 3,700

535.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.29 PKR 1,464

133.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.11 PKR 583

159.24%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.37 PKR 103

932.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.28 PKR 78.2

792.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.86 PKR 238

31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.52 PKR 144

626.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.24 PKR 344

162.10%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.24 PKR 342

233.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$5.86 PKR 1,622

123.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.12 PKR 862

358.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.25 PKR 1,730

155.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.29 PKR 356

239.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.54 PKR 150

168.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$0.99 PKR 273

358.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.56 PKR 155

648.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.33 PKR 91.6

696.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.35 PKR 95.8

574.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.45 PKR 124

291.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.44 PKR 121

390.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.79 PKR 497

448.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.28 PKR 76.5

432.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$9.68 PKR 2,679

318.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.92 PKR 255

190.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.71 PKR 196

122.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$2.22 PKR 615

1489.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.35 PKR 372

-26.67%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

100.70%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

1.63%

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

$219 $219

$112 PKR 30.9K

96.13%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$6.05 PKR 1,673

858.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$13.29 PKR 3,679

414.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$21.51 PKR 5,954

169.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-16.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$4.42 PKR 1,222

219.68%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

2874.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

996.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$17.57 PKR 4,862

194.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$22.78 PKR 6,304

93.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

25.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

157.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$117 PKR 32.4K

1547.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

1580.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$365 PKR 101.1K

904.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$182 PKR 50.5K

1284.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

622.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$491 PKR 135.8K

552.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$185 PKR 51.2K

2661.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.21

-48.60%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 94% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 75% $302

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 82.5% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 62.1% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 48% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 64.8% $56

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 73.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2661% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

10 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

14,910,352

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

PKR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Karachi 13,670 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Karachi

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

Austin, TX vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 452% lower than in Austin, TX. 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 2661% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $490 in Karachi – a 452% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 318% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 452% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.