Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hyderabad and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hyderabad: $443 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Karachi despite lower rent and utilities.

22

Cost of Living Index in Hyderabad
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Hyderabad Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Hyderabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$443

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $443 per month in Hyderabad vs $482 in Karachi, rent included.

Hyderabad $443
Karachi $482

A couple spends around $686 per month in Hyderabad vs $750 in Karachi, rent included.

Hyderabad $686
Karachi $750

A family of three spends $929 per month in Hyderabad vs $1,018 in Karachi, rent included.

Hyderabad $929
Karachi $1,018

Hyderabad is about 8% cheaper than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hyderabad and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Hyderabad 67% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.74 PKR 481

$2.13 PKR 588

-18.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.96 PKR 3,033

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-17.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-22.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 PKR 587

$2.19 PKR 607

-3.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 PKR 1,603

$7.24 PKR 2,005

-20.03%

Cappuccino

$1.03 PKR 286

$2.09 PKR 579

-50.72%

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

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$0.40 PKR 111

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 PKR 60.5

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 PKR 223

$0.92 PKR 254

-13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.25 PKR 345

-4.00%

Eggs

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.23 PKR 341

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.36 PKR 1,207

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 884

$3.16 PKR 876

0.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.04 PKR 1,117

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-35.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 297

$1.26 PKR 348

-15.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.53 PKR 148

-18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 PKR 176

$1.00 PKR 276

-37.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 PKR 130

$0.56 PKR 154

-16.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.2

$0.33 PKR 91.4

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.1

$0.34 PKR 95.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 115

$0.42 PKR 116

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 PKR 253

$1.25 PKR 346

-27.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 PKR 317

$1.32 PKR 365

-13.64%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 190

$2.42 PKR 670

-71.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$1.84 PKR 509

-3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 PKR 42.49

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.79 PKR 2,711

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-2.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 PKR 181

$0.92 PKR 256

-29.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 PKR 44.06

$0.70 PKR 193

-77.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 PKR 193

$2.16 PKR 597

-67.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 PKR 334

$1.38 PKR 382

-12.32%

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

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

0.43%

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

$25.5K PKR 7.1M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-5.69%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-1.15%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,553

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-5.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.22 PKR 3,658

$13.16 PKR 3,642

0.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.84 PKR 6,323

$21.55 PKR 5,965

5.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.52 PKR 973

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-80.69%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 PKR 981

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-15.91%

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

$51.4 PKR 14.2K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-1.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,339 PKR 370.7K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

-30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.98 PKR 4,701

$17.55 PKR 4,858

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.45 PKR 6,490

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-0.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 PKR 18.5K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.77 PKR 11.3K

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.2K

$118 PKR 32.7K

13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 PKR 21.1K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 PKR 85.9K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-13.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 PKR 59.3K

$188 PKR 52.0K

13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$767 PKR 212.3K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

-27.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$157 PKR 43.4K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-14.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

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

Last update for Hyderabad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hyderabad

$131 29.6%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 1.2% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

Hyderabad

$86 19.4%

Karachi

$101 21% 17.6% $15

Accommodation & Living

Hyderabad

$76 17.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 3.3% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Hyderabad

$67 15%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 1.7% $1.1

Eating Out

Hyderabad

$41 9.3%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 48.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hyderabad

$30 6.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

Hyderabad

$12 2.7%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 30.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Hyderabad 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 17% higher in Karachi, 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 $11.00 in Hyderabad versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $86.0 vs $101 – making Hyderabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Hyderabad

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

Same time as Hyderabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,732,698

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

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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

Hyderabad vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi costs about 9% more than Hyderabad, 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 $664 per month in Hyderabad 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 Hyderabad, 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 $11.00 in Hyderabad and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $443 in Hyderabad and $482 in Karachi. That's a gap of about 9%.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $443 in Hyderabad and $482 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Hyderabad – 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 Hyderabad. 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.