Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gujranwala and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gujranwala: $398 a month against $495 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Gujranwala
Learn more

Gujranwala Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Gujranwala

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$398

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $398 per month in Gujranwala vs $495 in Karachi, rent included.

Gujranwala $398
Karachi $495

A couple spends around $620 per month in Gujranwala vs $770 in Karachi, rent included.

Gujranwala $620
Karachi $770

A family of three spends $843 per month in Gujranwala vs $1,046 in Karachi, rent included.

Gujranwala $843
Karachi $1,046

Gujranwala is about 20% cheaper than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Gujranwala and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Gujranwala 71% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 PKR 988

$2.21 PKR 610

61.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.88 PKR 3,563

$12.87 PKR 3,562

0.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,509

$5.27 PKR 1,459

3.42%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 PKR 254

$2.16 PKR 598

-57.41%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 PKR 1,859

$7.36 PKR 2,036

-8.70%

Cappuccino

$1.19 PKR 330

$2.16 PKR 598

-44.91%

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

$0.23 PKR 63.9

$0.38 PKR 106

-39.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 PKR 41.62

$0.25 PKR 69.3

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 PKR 224

$0.90 PKR 248

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 PKR 181

$0.52 PKR 143

26.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 PKR 302

$1.20 PKR 331

-9.17%

Eggs

$1.19 PKR 331

$1.25 PKR 346

-4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.01 PKR 1,662

$5.82 PKR 1,611

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.37 PKR 657

$3.11 PKR 860

-23.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.47 PKR 1,514

$6.53 PKR 1,807

-16.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 PKR 366

$1.28 PKR 354

3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$0.54 PKR 149

53.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 296

$1.02 PKR 283

4.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.56 PKR 155

-5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 PKR 74.6

$0.34 PKR 94.9

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.31 PKR 87.0

25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 PKR 60.5

$0.41 PKR 113

-46.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 PKR 101

$0.43 PKR 120

-16.28%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.99 PKR 551

$1.28 PKR 355

55.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.33 PKR 368

-6.02%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 PKR 754

$2.45 PKR 678

11.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 PKR 569

$1.78 PKR 492

15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 45.78

$0.28 PKR 77.1

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 PKR 262

$0.92 PKR 254

3.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 195

$0.73 PKR 203

-4.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 PKR 405

$2.22 PKR 615

-34.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PKR 313

$1.33 PKR 369

-15.04%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

0.09%

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

$21.7K PKR 6.0M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-17.93%

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

$102 PKR 28.3K

$112 PKR 31.0K

-8.85%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,588

$5.99 PKR 1,656

-4.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.39 PKR 4,535

$13.18 PKR 3,648

24.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.20 PKR 1,991

$24.67 PKR 6,825

-70.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.08 PKR 1,683

$18.29 PKR 5,061

-66.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 PKR 1,191

$4.34 PKR 1,201

-0.69%

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

$27.47 PKR 7,600

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

-59.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$969 PKR 268.0K

$1,915 PKR 529.8K

-49.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.50 PKR 4,012

$17.61 PKR 4,873

-17.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.33 PKR 7,009

$22.03 PKR 6,096

14.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 PKR 19.9K

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.05 PKR 9,143

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

-18.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$55.0 PKR 15.2K

$136 PKR 37.6K

-59.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$31.39 PKR 8,685

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

-61.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 PKR 45.4K

$392 PKR 108.5K

-58.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 PKR 27.7K

$207 PKR 57.2K

-51.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 PKR 65.9K

$184 PKR 51.0K

29.08%

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 Gujranwala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gujranwala

$124 31.3%

Karachi

$131 26.6% 5.6% $7

Groceries & Markets

Gujranwala

$95 24%

Karachi

$102 20.5% 6.4% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Gujranwala

$65 16.4%

Karachi

$67 13.5% 2.7% $1.8

Eating Out

Gujranwala

$61 15.3%

Karachi

$62 12.5% 2% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Gujranwala

$31 7.9%

Karachi

$82 16.6% 162% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Gujranwala

$16 4%

Karachi

$33 6.7% 111% $18

Getting Around

Gujranwala

$5.1 * 1.3%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 239% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $55 in Gujranwala versus $136 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 29% higher in Gujranwala, 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 $13 in Gujranwala versus $13 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95 vs $102 – making Gujranwala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Gujranwala

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as Gujranwala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,027,001

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gujranwala Karachi 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gujranwala
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

Gujranwala vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $398 in Gujranwala, $495 in Karachi – Gujranwala comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $597 per month in Gujranwala and $742 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gujranwala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $55 there versus $136 in Karachi.

Kindergarten costs $27 per month in Gujranwala and $67 in Karachi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $398 in Gujranwala and $495 in Karachi. That makes Gujranwala about 20% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $398 in Gujranwala and $495 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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