Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $740 in Albay, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Albay
Learn more

Albay Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Albay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Karachi and in Albay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $740 in Albay.

Karachi $482
Albay $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,099 in Albay.

Karachi $750
Albay $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,457 in Albay.

Karachi $1,018
Albay $1,457

Living in Karachi costs roughly 35% less than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Albay 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.98 ₱250

-46.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$17.00 ₱1,070

-21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$2.72 ₱171

100.37%

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

$2.09 PKR 579

$2.27 ₱143

-7.93%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.62 ₱39.23

-35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.33 ₱21.01

-21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.85 ₱116

-50.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.04 ₱65.2

-46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.86 ₱54.0

45.35%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.99 ₱125

-38.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$4.92 ₱310

15.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.17 ₱263

-24.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$6.55 ₱413

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.71 ₱171

-53.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.58 ₱99.3

-66.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.12 ₱133

-52.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.03 ₱65.0

-45.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.78 ₱112

-81.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.26 ₱142

-84.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.86 ₱53.9

-51.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.49 ₱30.89

-10.20%

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)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.67 ₱168

-31.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 ₱472

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₱69.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₱118

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.26 ₱16.50

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$10.06 ₱634

-0.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.68 ₱42.90

35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.19 ₱11.90

268.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.65 ₱104

30.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.38 ₱87.1

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$18.5K ₱1.2M

-3.05%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

38.58%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$115 ₱7,229

-1.18%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$15.40 ₱970

-61.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$25.92 ₱1,632

-49.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$37.20 ₱2,342

-42.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$5.27 ₱332

245.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.34 ₱336

-21.16%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$133 ₱8,400

-60.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$7,069 ₱445.1K

-72.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$28.70 ₱1,807

-38.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$19.91 ₱1,254

18.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$72.9 ₱4,587

-5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$50.2 ₱3,160

-19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$230 ₱14.5K

-48.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$190 ₱11.9K

-61.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$489 ₱30.8K

-26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$328 ₱20.6K

-42.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,576 ₱162.2K

-58.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$959 ₱60.4K

-49.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$163 ₱10.2K

12.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

6.79

94.55%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Albay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Albay

$156 21.1% 17.8% $24

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Albay

$176 23.7% 73.4% $74

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Albay

$190 25.6% 158% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Albay

$77 10.4% 14% $9.5

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Albay

$81 10.9% 32.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Albay

$48 6.5% 59.7% $18

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Albay

$13 1.7% 17.9% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $230 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $17.00 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $176 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

13:05 1:05 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

179,481

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

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).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Albay 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Albay

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

Karachi vs Albay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Albay differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $740 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Karachi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $230 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Albay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $17.00 in Albay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Albay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.