Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Davao and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $794 in Davao, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$794

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $794 in Davao versus $482 in Karachi.

Davao $794
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Davao versus $750 in Karachi.

Davao $1,225
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,656 in Davao versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Davao $1,656
Karachi $1,018

Living in Davao is roughly 65% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Davao 41% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱303

$2.13 PKR 588

125.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.69 ₱1,681

$13.30 PKR 3,680

100.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱248

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-27.71%

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

$2.71 ₱170

$2.09 PKR 579

29.67%

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

$1.04 ₱65.3

$0.40 PKR 111

160.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.97

$0.26 PKR 71.1

161.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 ₱102

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₱126

$0.92 PKR 254

118.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.0

$0.56 PKR 156

101.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱58.4

$1.25 PKR 345

-25.60%

Eggs

$1.88 ₱119

$1.23 PKR 341

52.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 ₱411

$5.67 PKR 1,570

14.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 ₱306

$3.16 PKR 876

53.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 ₱578

$6.28 PKR 1,737

46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ₱170

$1.26 PKR 348

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₱69.3

$0.53 PKR 148

107.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.00 PKR 276

136.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₱72.6

$0.56 PKR 154

105.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$0.33 PKR 91.4

512.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.53 ₱222

$0.34 PKR 95.1

938.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₱76.1

$0.42 PKR 116

188.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.61

$0.44 PKR 121

54.55%

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)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.84 PKR 509

31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 ₱489

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₱78.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ₱21.73

$0.28 PKR 77.0

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.58 ₱855

$9.99 PKR 2,764

35.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$0.92 PKR 256

-11.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.41

$0.70 PKR 193

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱123

$2.16 PKR 597

-9.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.5

$1.38 PKR 382

-7.25%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

17.74%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-30.18%

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

$106 ₱6,688

$113 PKR 31.4K

-6.36%

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

$19.39 ₱1,221

$5.95 PKR 1,648

225.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.90 ₱2,009

$13.16 PKR 3,642

142.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.90 ₱2,135

$21.55 PKR 5,965

57.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.61 ₱228

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-80.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 ₱296

$4.21 PKR 1,165

11.64%

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

$107 ₱6,766

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

106.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 ₱475.7K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

289.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 ₱3,852

$17.55 PKR 4,858

248.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.84 ₱1,942

$23.51 PKR 6,506

31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,502

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

3.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 ₱3,935

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

53.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ₱17.6K

$118 PKR 32.7K

137.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₱10.8K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

133.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₱39.6K

$357 PKR 98.9K

76.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ₱20.1K

$188 PKR 52.0K

70.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,640 ₱103.2K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

54.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,429 ₱90.0K

$481 PKR 133.1K

197.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$214 ₱13.5K

$183 PKR 50.6K

16.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

13.21

-37.09%

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

Last update for Davao: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Davao

$200 25.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 49.5% $99

Accommodation & Living

Davao

$172 21.6%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 57.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Davao

$158 19.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 15.8% $25

Eating Out

Davao

$102 12.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 40.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Davao

$102 12.8%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 33.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Davao

$43 5.5%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 30.8% $13

Getting Around

Davao

$17 2.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 8.3% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Davao and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Davao pays 17% 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: $27.00 in Davao vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Davao

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

3 h behind Davao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,632,991

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Davao Karachi 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Davao
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

Davao vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 65% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Davao, 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: $280 in Davao 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 $13.00 versus $27.00 in Davao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $794 per month in Davao versus $482 in Karachi – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Karachi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Davao, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Davao 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 65% less than in Davao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.