Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gilgit and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gilgit: $439 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Gilgit
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Gilgit Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Gilgit

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$439

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $439 per month in Gilgit vs $483 in Karachi, rent included.

Gilgit $439
Karachi $483

A couple spends around $656 per month in Gilgit vs $754 in Karachi, rent included.

Gilgit $656
Karachi $754

A family of three spends $872 per month in Gilgit vs $1,025 in Karachi, rent included.

Gilgit $872
Karachi $1,025

Gilgit is about 9% cheaper than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gilgit and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Gilgit 68% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.48 PKR 411

$2.11 PKR 585

-29.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.94 PKR 3,029

$13.73 PKR 3,801

-20.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 PKR 1,467

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-4.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PKR 719

$2.20 PKR 609

18.18%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$7.37 PKR 2,040

-28.22%

Cappuccino

$1.64 PKR 454

$2.14 PKR 593

-23.36%

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

$0.32 PKR 89.9

$0.40 PKR 111

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.3

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 PKR 220

$0.90 PKR 250

-12.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 PKR 176

$0.55 PKR 153

16.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 PKR 315

$1.20 PKR 333

-5.00%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.25 PKR 346

-8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.62 PKR 1,556

$5.96 PKR 1,650

-5.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.46 PKR 682

$3.19 PKR 883

-22.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.86 PKR 1,344

$6.48 PKR 1,793

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 PKR 325

$1.24 PKR 344

-5.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 152

$0.53 PKR 147

3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 219

$1.03 PKR 284

-23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.51 PKR 142

9.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.8

$0.31 PKR 85.1

-3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.31 PKR 87.1

25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.41 PKR 113

9.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.44 PKR 120

-15.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.80 PKR 499

$1.31 PKR 362

37.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 PKR 307

$1.33 PKR 369

-16.54%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 PKR 649

$2.42 PKR 670

-3.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 PKR 539

$1.83 PKR 508

6.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 48.31

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.11 PKR 2,797

$9.81 PKR 2,716

3.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 PKR 292

$0.87 PKR 240

21.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.74 PKR 204

-4.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 PKR 444

$2.23 PKR 617

-27.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 326

$1.38 PKR 383

-14.49%

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

$21.3K PKR 5.9M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

16.29%

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

$24.4K PKR 6.7M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-7.82%

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

$100 PKR 27.7K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-11.56%

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

$5.54 PKR 1,535

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-9.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.42 PKR 3,991

$13.11 PKR 3,628

9.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.11 PKR 4,182

$21.78 PKR 6,029

-30.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 PKR 2,289

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-54.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 PKR 1,204

$4.26 PKR 1,179

2.11%

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

$43.23 PKR 12.0K

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

-17.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,055 PKR 292.1K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

-45.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.11 PKR 4,735

$17.53 PKR 4,852

-2.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.40 PKR 6,476

$22.88 PKR 6,332

2.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 PKR 18.4K

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

-2.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.21 PKR 9,191

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

-20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 PKR 34.8K

$118 PKR 32.5K

6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.8 PKR 21.3K

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 PKR 71.0K

$360 PKR 99.6K

-28.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 PKR 41.6K

$188 PKR 52.1K

-20.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$926 PKR 256.4K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

-14.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

0.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-1.59%

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

Last update for Gilgit: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gilgit

$120 27.4%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 10.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Gilgit

$90 20.6%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 13.2% $12

Accommodation & Living

Gilgit

$77 17.5%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 4.7% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Gilgit

$63 14.4%

Karachi

$68 14% 7% $4.4

Eating Out

Gilgit

$50 11.3%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 24.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Gilgit

$24 5.4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 27.3% $6.5

Getting Around

Gilgit

$15 3.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 0.5% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Gilgit 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Gilgit versus $14.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $90.0 vs $102 – making Gilgit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Gilgit

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

Same time as Gilgit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

216,760

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gilgit Karachi 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gilgit
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

Gilgit vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi costs about 10% more than Gilgit, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $659 per month in Gilgit 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 Gilgit, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Karachi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Gilgit and $14.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $439 in Gilgit and $483 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gilgit – 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 Gilgit. 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.