Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Nido and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $739 in El Nido, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $739 per month in El Nido vs $483 in Karachi, rent included.

El Nido $739
Karachi $483

A couple spends around $1,148 per month in El Nido vs $754 in Karachi, rent included.

El Nido $1,148
Karachi $754

A family of three spends $1,557 per month in El Nido vs $1,025 in Karachi, rent included.

El Nido $1,557
Karachi $1,025

El Nido costs about 53% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Nido and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – El Nido 45% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.84 ₱305

$2.11 PKR 585

129.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.13 ₱1,771

$13.73 PKR 3,801

104.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.70 ₱233

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-33.09%

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

$2.25 ₱142

$2.14 PKR 593

5.14%

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

$1.17 ₱73.8

$0.40 PKR 111

192.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.45

$0.28 PKR 77.7

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₱81.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱100

$0.90 PKR 250

76.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₱63.1

$0.55 PKR 153

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$1.20 PKR 333

7.50%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.25 PKR 346

56.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 ₱336

$5.96 PKR 1,650

-10.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 ₱250

$3.19 PKR 883

24.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱439

$6.48 PKR 1,793

7.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₱142

$1.24 PKR 344

81.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.53 PKR 147

190.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.03 PKR 284

119.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱72.8

$0.51 PKR 142

127.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$0.31 PKR 85.1

529.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 ₱127

$0.31 PKR 87.1

548.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$0.41 PKR 113

124.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.65

$0.44 PKR 120

20.45%

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)

$3.35 ₱211

$1.83 PKR 508

83.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 ₱456

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₱62.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₱118

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.07

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.28 ₱648

$9.81 PKR 2,716

4.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱53.8

$0.87 PKR 240

-2.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.74 PKR 204

-72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ₱108

$2.23 PKR 617

-22.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.3

$1.38 PKR 383

-5.07%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

4.52%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-18.34%

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

$121 ₱7,638

$113 PKR 31.4K

7.09%

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

$14.38 ₱906

$6.12 PKR 1,694

134.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.44 ₱1,539

$13.11 PKR 3,628

86.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.90 ₱2,197

$21.78 PKR 6,029

60.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.99 ₱251

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-78.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱329

$4.26 PKR 1,179

22.77%

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

$124 ₱7,818

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

138.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,869 ₱432.4K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

253.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 ₱2,132

$17.53 PKR 4,852

93.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.81 ₱1,185

$22.88 PKR 6,332

-17.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 ₱4,211

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

-1.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.95 ₱3,145

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₱17.0K

$118 PKR 32.5K

129.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.2K

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

142.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₱33.7K

$360 PKR 99.6K

48.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₱22.5K

$188 PKR 52.1K

89.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,607 ₱164.1K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

141.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$900 ₱56.7K

$474 PKR 131.2K

89.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 ₱16.2K

$182 PKR 50.4K

40.96%

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 El Nido: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Nido

$177 24%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 58.7% $104

Groceries & Markets

El Nido

$174 23.6%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 41.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Nido

$160 21.7%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 17.3% $28

Eating Out

El Nido

$93 12.6%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 33.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

El Nido

$76 10.3%

Karachi

$68 14% 11.5% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

El Nido

$45 6.1%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 33.2% $15

Getting Around

El Nido

$13 1.8%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 18.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in El Nido 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 41% higher in El Nido, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in El Nido versus $14.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $102 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 El Nido

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

23:29 11:29 PM

3 h behind El Nido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,494

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

El Nido Karachi 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

El Nido
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

El Nido vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $739 in El Nido, $483 in Karachi – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,109 per month in El Nido and $725 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 5% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in El Nido and $52.1 in Karachi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $739 in El Nido and $483 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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