Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iligan City and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $739 in Iligan City, 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 Iligan City
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Iligan City Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $739 per month in Iligan City vs $482 in Karachi, rent included.

Iligan City $739
Karachi $482

A couple spends around $1,126 per month in Iligan City vs $750 in Karachi, rent included.

Iligan City $1,126
Karachi $750

A family of three spends $1,514 per month in Iligan City vs $1,018 in Karachi, rent included.

Iligan City $1,514
Karachi $1,018

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 ₱251

$2.13 PKR 588

87.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.85 ₱1,124

$13.30 PKR 3,680

34.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱172

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-49.72%

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

$2.26 ₱142

$2.09 PKR 579

8.13%

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

$0.67 ₱42.01

$0.40 PKR 111

67.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₱21.15

$0.26 PKR 71.1

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₱71.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₱120

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₱129

$0.92 PKR 254

122.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱72.8

$0.56 PKR 156

107.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱56.7

$1.25 PKR 345

-28.00%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱121

$1.23 PKR 341

56.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.66 ₱357

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$3.16 PKR 876

33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 ₱457

$6.28 PKR 1,737

15.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₱153

$1.26 PKR 348

92.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.53 PKR 148

190.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.00 PKR 276

134.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱73.7

$0.56 PKR 154

108.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 ₱126

$0.33 PKR 91.4

509.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.34 PKR 95.1

464.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱57.8

$0.42 PKR 116

119.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱35.82

$0.44 PKR 121

29.55%

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)

$2.97 ₱187

$1.84 PKR 509

61.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 ₱476

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱126

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.49

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.63 ₱795

$9.99 PKR 2,764

26.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱53.5

$0.92 PKR 256

-7.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.33

$0.70 PKR 193

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ₱127

$2.16 PKR 597

-6.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$1.38 PKR 382

-15.22%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

18.25%

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

$16.8K ₱1.1M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-37.96%

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

$129 ₱8,095

$113 PKR 31.4K

13.34%

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

$15.31 ₱964

$5.95 PKR 1,648

157.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 ₱1,519

$13.16 PKR 3,642

83.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.95 ₱2,011

$21.55 PKR 5,965

48.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.61 ₱290

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-74.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 ₱324

$4.21 PKR 1,165

22.09%

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

$131 ₱8,241

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

151.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,881 ₱559.2K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

357.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.30 ₱2,097

$17.55 PKR 4,858

89.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.10 ₱1,139

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₱4,422

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.70 ₱3,066

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₱6,985

$118 PKR 32.7K

-5.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₱10.8K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

133.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ₱32.4K

$357 PKR 98.9K

44.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.5K

$188 PKR 52.0K

90.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,600 ₱163.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

145.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$875 ₱55.1K

$481 PKR 133.1K

82.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 ₱12.5K

$183 PKR 50.6K

8.17%

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 Iligan City: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Iligan City

$184 24.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 45% $83

Accommodation & Living

Iligan City

$172 23.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 57.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iligan City

$168 22.7%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 21.1% $35

Eating Out

Iligan City

$81 10.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 24.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Iligan City

$77 10.4%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 11.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Iligan City

$42 5.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 29% $12

Getting Around

Iligan City

$16 2.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 0.4% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $111 in Iligan City 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 8% higher in Iligan City, 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 $18.00 in Iligan City versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

3 h behind Iligan City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,618

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 18, 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 18, 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

Iligan City Karachi 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Iligan City
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

Iligan City vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $739 in Iligan City, $482 in Karachi – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,108 per month in Iligan City 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 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 26% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Iligan City and $52.2 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 Iligan City and $482 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.

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