Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iloilo and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $693 in Iloilo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Iloilo
🇵🇭 Philippines
$693
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$490
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $693 per month in Iloilo vs $490 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Iloilo $693
  • Karachi $490

A couple spends around $1,054 per month in Iloilo vs $755 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Iloilo $1,054
  • Karachi $755

A family of three spends $1,416 per month in Iloilo vs $1,019 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Iloilo $1,416
  • Karachi $1,019

Iloilo costs about 41% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iloilo and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Iloilo 48% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.83 ₱177
$2.15 PKR 596
31.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.43 ₱1,219
$13.37 PKR 3,700
45.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.15 ₱198
$5.29 PKR 1,464
-40.45%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.19 PKR 606
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.25 PKR 2,005
-
Cappuccino
$2.09 ₱131
$2.11 PKR 583
-0.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₱40.93
$0.37 PKR 103
75.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₱21.39
$0.28 PKR 78.2
21.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.06 ₱66.6
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ₱113
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₱106
$0.86 PKR 238
96.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 ₱75.1
$0.52 PKR 144
130.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 ₱52.9
$1.24 PKR 344
-32.26%
Eggs
$2.06 ₱129
$1.24 PKR 342
66.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.05 ₱379
$5.86 PKR 1,622
3.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.04 ₱254
$3.12 PKR 862
29.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.18 ₱388
$6.25 PKR 1,731
-1.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.32 ₱208
$1.29 PKR 356
157.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ₱65.3
$0.54 PKR 150
92.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.06 ₱192
$0.99 PKR 273
209.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.38 ₱86.4
$0.56 PKR 155
146.43%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 ₱150
$0.33 PKR 91.6
624.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 ₱170
$0.35 PKR 95.9
674.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 ₱92.4
$0.45 PKR 124
226.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 ₱50.8
$0.44 PKR 121
84.09%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.23 PKR 341
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.37 PKR 381
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.44 PKR 676
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ₱188
$1.79 PKR 497
67.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.19 ₱388
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 ₱68.8
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 ₱78.8
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 ₱15.09
$0.28 PKR 76.5
-14.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$4.59 ₱288
$9.68 PKR 2,679
-52.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 ₱51.4
$0.92 PKR 255
-10.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 ₱21.10
$0.71 PKR 196
-52.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 ₱148
$2.22 PKR 615
6.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ₱72.9
$1.35 PKR 372
-14.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₱1.4M
$17.8K PKR 4.9M
22.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.5K ₱1.2M
$26.7K PKR 7.4M
-26.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.5 ₱4,044
$112 PKR 30.9K
-42.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.82 ₱616
$6.05 PKR 1,673
62.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.65 ₱1,734
$13.29 PKR 3,679
108.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.76 ₱612
$21.51 PKR 5,954
-54.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.80 PKR 4,927
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.70 ₱295
$4.42 PKR 1,222
6.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$31.77 ₱1,993
$50.7 PKR 14.0K
-37.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$1,957 PKR 541.6K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.50 ₱1,474
$17.57 PKR 4,862
33.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.74 ₱1,113
$22.78 PKR 6,304
-22.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.5 ₱3,480
$67.6 PKR 18.7K
-17.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$23.96 ₱1,503
$40.97 PKR 11.3K
-41.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$308 ₱19.3K
$117 PKR 32.5K
163.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$246 ₱15.4K
$75.7 PKR 21.0K
225.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 ₱74.3K
$365 PKR 101.1K
224.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ₱27.4K
$182 PKR 50.5K
139.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,633 ₱227.9K
$1,054 PKR 291.6K
244.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,055 ₱66.2K
$491 PKR 135.8K
114.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iloilo
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$206 ₱12.9K
$185 PKR 51.2K
11.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.33
13.21
-44.51%

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

Last update for Iloilo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iloilo
$246
Karachi
$76 69.2% $171
Groceries & Markets
Iloilo
$188
Karachi
$101 46.4% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iloilo
$102
Karachi
$131 28.6% $29
Eating Out
Iloilo
$70
Karachi
$61 13% $9.1
Clothing & Footwear
Iloilo
$54
Karachi
$67 23.4% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Iloilo
$19
Karachi
$30 58.3% $11
Getting Around
Iloilo
$8.1
Karachi
$15 89.1% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Iloilo versus $117 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 11% higher in Iloilo, 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 $19.00 in Iloilo versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Iloilo
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
16:29 4:29 PM
13:29 1:29 PM
3 h behind Iloilo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
457,626
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iloilo Karachi 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Iloilo
  • 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
Iloilo vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Karachi cheaper than Iloilo?
Yes – Iloilo is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,040 per month in Iloilo and $735 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Iloilo or in Karachi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Iloilo and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Iloilo and in Karachi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $693 in Iloilo and $490 in Karachi. That's a gap of about 41%.
Is $1,200 enough for either Iloilo or Karachi?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $693 in Iloilo and $490 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Iloilo or Karachi more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Iloilo or Karachi?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iloilo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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