Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chittagong and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $371 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
Learn more

Chittagong Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$371

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $371 per month in Chittagong vs $482 in Karachi, rent included.

Chittagong $371
Karachi $482

A couple spends around $626 per month in Chittagong vs $750 in Karachi, rent included.

Chittagong $626
Karachi $750

A family of three spends $881 per month in Chittagong vs $1,018 in Karachi, rent included.

Chittagong $881
Karachi $1,018

Chittagong is about 23% cheaper than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chittagong and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Chittagong 73% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ৳257

$2.13 PKR 588

-2.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.17 ৳1,503

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-8.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ৳664

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-1.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ৳323

$2.19 PKR 607

19.63%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ৳516

$7.24 PKR 2,005

-42.27%

Cappuccino

$1.94 ৳239

$2.09 PKR 579

-7.18%

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

$0.40 ৳48.92

$0.40 PKR 111

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ৳13.77

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ৳93.0

$0.92 PKR 254

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳73.9

$0.56 PKR 156

7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ৳77.6

$1.25 PKR 345

-49.60%

Eggs

$1.16 ৳144

$1.23 PKR 341

-5.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 ৳891

$5.67 PKR 1,570

27.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.03 ৳251

$3.16 PKR 876

-35.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 ৳892

$6.28 PKR 1,737

14.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ৳291

$1.26 PKR 348

86.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ৳104

$0.53 PKR 148

58.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 ৳255

$1.00 PKR 276

106.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 ৳106

$0.56 PKR 154

53.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ৳54.3

$0.33 PKR 91.4

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ৳96.9

$0.34 PKR 95.1

129.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 ৳60.7

$0.42 PKR 116

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ৳39.89

$0.44 PKR 121

-27.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.38 ৳541

$1.25 PKR 346

250.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ৳104

$1.32 PKR 365

-36.36%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ৳183

$2.42 PKR 670

-38.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ৳376

$1.84 PKR 509

65.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ৳25.83

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ৳98.7

$0.92 PKR 256

-13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ৳72.1

$0.70 PKR 193

-17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 ৳487

$2.16 PKR 597

82.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳142

$1.38 PKR 382

-16.67%

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

$32.0K ৳4.0M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

78.97%

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

$45.5K ৳5.6M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

67.92%

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

$30.32 ৳3,746

$113 PKR 31.4K

-73.27%

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

$5.57 ৳689

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-6.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.57 ৳1,553

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.87 ৳2,455

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-7.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.88 ৳1,714

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-23.86%

Cinema Ticket

$3.68 ৳455

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-12.59%

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

$36.24 ৳4,478

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-30.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,444 ৳178.4K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

-25.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.22 ৳2,869

$17.55 PKR 4,858

32.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.79 ৳2,445

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ৳7,053

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-17.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.68 ৳4,285

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

-14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 ৳15.3K

$118 PKR 32.7K

5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$60.0 ৳7,418

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

-18.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ৳33.1K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-25.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ৳20.1K

$188 PKR 52.0K

-13.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$782 ৳96.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

-26.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$462 ৳57.1K

$481 PKR 133.1K

-3.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$281 ৳34.7K

$183 PKR 50.6K

53.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

13.21

-12.94%

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

Last update for Chittagong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chittagong

$112 30.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 9.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chittagong

$61 16.3%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 11.7% $7.1

Accommodation & Living

Chittagong

$60 16.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 22.6% $14

Eating Out

Chittagong

$58 15.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 5.3% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chittagong

$48 13.1%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 174% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Chittagong

$27 7.3%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 10% $2.7

Getting Around

Chittagong

$4.6 * 1.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 241% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $124 in Chittagong versus $118 in Karachi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Chittagong, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Chittagong versus $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries tell a different story – $112 in Chittagong vs $101 in Karachi – so Karachi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

19:24 7:24 PM

1 h behind Chittagong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,592,439

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chittagong Karachi 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chittagong
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

Chittagong vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $371 in Chittagong, $482 in Karachi – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $557 per month in Chittagong and $723 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Chittagong and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Karachi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $371 in Chittagong and $482 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chittagong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Chittagong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karachi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.