Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,067 in Chiayi, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Chiayi versus $482 in Karachi.

Chiayi $1,067
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Chiayi versus $750 in Karachi.

Chiayi $1,503
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Chiayi versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Chiayi $1,940
Karachi $1,018

Living in Chiayi is roughly 122% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiayi 21% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$2.13 PKR 588

126.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 NT$1,519

$13.30 PKR 3,680

252.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NT$185

$5.45 PKR 1,508

4.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$3.36 NT$109

$2.09 PKR 579

60.77%

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

$0.88 NT$28.58

$0.40 PKR 111

120.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.68

$0.26 PKR 71.1

157.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$101

$0.92 PKR 254

236.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$0.56 PKR 156

267.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$98.6

$1.25 PKR 345

143.20%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$86.3

$1.23 PKR 341

116.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 NT$641

$5.67 PKR 1,570

248.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 NT$316

$3.16 PKR 876

208.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 NT$680

$6.28 PKR 1,737

234.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 NT$158

$1.26 PKR 348

286.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 NT$104

$0.53 PKR 148

507.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.0

$1.00 PKR 276

199.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NT$148

$0.56 PKR 154

712.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NT$90.9

$0.33 PKR 91.4

748.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.3

$0.34 PKR 95.1

591.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.3

$0.42 PKR 116

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$37.04

$0.44 PKR 121

159.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 NT$130

$1.84 PKR 509

117.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

$9.99 PKR 2,764

24.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.5

$0.92 PKR 256

186.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 NT$14.94

$0.70 PKR 193

-34.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.66 NT$313

$2.16 PKR 597

347.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.43

$1.38 PKR 382

-23.19%

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

$32.9K NT$1.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

83.55%

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

$24.5K NT$795.8K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-9.39%

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

$66.7 NT$2,164

$113 PKR 31.4K

-41.17%

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

$17.52 NT$568

$5.95 PKR 1,648

194.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 NT$873

$13.16 PKR 3,642

104.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.82 NT$1,032

$21.55 PKR 5,965

47.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 NT$319

$4.21 PKR 1,165

133.73%

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

$660 NT$21.4K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

1165.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$543.4K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

763.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NT$2,020

$17.55 PKR 4,858

254.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 NT$1,279

$23.51 PKR 6,506

67.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NT$2,763

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,383

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

157.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 NT$12.0K

$118 PKR 32.7K

213.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,194

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

243.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,179 NT$103.1K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

199.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NT$61.9K

$481 PKR 133.1K

297.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,110 NT$68.4K

$183 PKR 50.6K

1053.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

13.21

-81.83%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$379 35.5%

Karachi

$101 21% 73.3% $278

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$253 23.7%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 70.9% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$131 12.3%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 48.3% $63

Eating Out

Chiayi

$124 11.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 50.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$111 10.4%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 19.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$51 4.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 41.8% $22

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 10.7% $1.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $369 in Chiayi and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 1054% 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: $47.00 in Chiayi vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

09:28 9:28 AM

3 h behind Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

14,910,352

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiayi Karachi 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
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

Chiayi vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Chiayi. 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 1054% higher in Chiayi, 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: $369 in Chiayi versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,067 per month in Chiayi versus $482 in Karachi – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 24% less than in Chiayi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,067 in Chiayi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Chiayi. 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.

Safety-wise, Chiayi 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 122% less than in Chiayi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.