Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Karachi Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Karachi

😐 Solo nomad: Islamabad is 15.9% more expensive than Karachi without rent, and 14.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Islamabad is 14.2% more expensive than Karachi without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 PKR 779

$2.17 PKR 611

27.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.05 PKR 3,963

$12.19 PKR 3,438

15.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 PKR 1,534

$4.15 PKR 1,171

31.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 PKR 489

$2.00 PKR 563

-13.50%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 PKR 1,074

$5.33 PKR 1,503

-28.52%

Cappuccino

$2.00 PKR 563

$1.90 PKR 535

5.26%

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

$0.39 PKR 110

$0.34 PKR 95.4

14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 68.0

$0.23 PKR 65.1

4.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 PKR 280

$0.85 PKR 240

16.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 PKR 189

$0.58 PKR 163

15.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 PKR 348

$1.17 PKR 329

5.13%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 346

$1.16 PKR 327

6.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 PKR 1,786

$6.31 PKR 1,781

0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 PKR 954

$3.27 PKR 922

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.33 PKR 1,222

$5.11 PKR 1,441

-15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 PKR 294

$1.08 PKR 306

-3.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 PKR 220

$0.55 PKR 154

41.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 PKR 272

$0.88 PKR 249

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 157

$0.53 PKR 150

5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 PKR 117

$0.38 PKR 108

7.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 PKR 162

$0.48 PKR 135

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 94.1

$0.35 PKR 99.2

-5.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 PKR 106

$0.41 PKR 115

-9.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.92 PKR 543

$1.56 PKR 440

23.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 PKR 242

$1.25 PKR 354

-31.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 PKR 555

$2.08 PKR 587

-5.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 PKR 604

$2.07 PKR 584

3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.6

$0.36 PKR 103

-47.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.25 PKR 2,044

$6.46 PKR 1,821

12.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 243

$0.70 PKR 197

22.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 PKR 124

$0.66 PKR 185

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 PKR 793

$1.80 PKR 507

56.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 254

$0.92 PKR 260

-2.17%

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

$21.0K PKR 5.9M

$16.5K PKR 4.7M

27.20%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.4M

$25.4K PKR 7.2M

3.04%

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

$111 PKR 31.2K

$136 PKR 38.4K

-18.78%

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

$5.53 PKR 1,559

$4.85 PKR 1,368

14.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.50 PKR 5,217

$13.74 PKR 3,873

34.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.98 PKR 6,481

$15.46 PKR 4,360

48.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.07 PKR 1,711

$14.14 PKR 3,987

-57.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 PKR 1,211

$4.32 PKR 1,220

-0.69%

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

$59.1 PKR 16.7K

$56.7 PKR 16.0K

4.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,792 PKR 787.2K

$1,388 PKR 391.4K

101.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.28 PKR 6,001

$17.33 PKR 4,887

22.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.32 PKR 7,987

$25.38 PKR 7,156

11.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 PKR 25.1K

$64.8 PKR 18.3K

37.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.51 PKR 11.4K

$35.62 PKR 10.0K

13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 PKR 55.3K

$119 PKR 33.5K

65.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 PKR 30.9K

$73.6 PKR 20.7K

49.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 PKR 145.7K

$317 PKR 89.4K

62.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 PKR 82.8K

$178 PKR 50.3K

64.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,529 PKR 431.2K

$726 PKR 204.6K

110.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$750 PKR 211.6K

$435 PKR 122.6K

72.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$285 PKR 80.4K

$176 PKR 49.5K

62.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.2

17.8

13.48%

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

Last update for Islamabad: January 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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