Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $607 in Bacolod, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bacolod outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Bacolod

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 Bacolod actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $482 per month in Karachi vs $607 in Bacolod, rent included.

Karachi $482
Bacolod $607

A couple spends around $750 per month in Karachi vs $885 in Bacolod, rent included.

Karachi $750
Bacolod $885

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Karachi vs $1,162 in Bacolod, rent included.

Karachi $1,018
Bacolod $1,162

Karachi is about 21% cheaper than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Karachi and Bacolod are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Bacolod 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$2.34 ₱147

-8.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$12.87 ₱810

3.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.03 ₱254

35.24%

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

$2.46 ₱155

-15.04%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.70 ₱43.96

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.38 ₱23.61

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₱86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.61 ₱101

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.16 ₱73.2

-51.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.95 ₱60.0

31.58%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.66 ₱105

-25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$8.92 ₱561

-36.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$6.95 ₱437

-54.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.37 ₱212

-62.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$2.42 ₱152

-78.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.53 ₱33.60

5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.00 ₱126

-83.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.03 ₱64.8

-57.28%

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

$2.77 ₱175

-33.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.18 ₱11.18

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.61 ₱38.66

50.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.28 ₱80.5

7.81%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$22.1K ₱1.4M

-18.86%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$24.0K ₱1.5M

12.86%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$137 ₱8,646

-17.39%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$7.99 ₱503

-25.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$28.20 ₱1,776

-53.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$15.87 ₱999

35.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$2.44 ₱153

647.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.37 ₱275

-3.66%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$31.23 ₱1,966

66.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$267 ₱16.8K

-55.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$178 ₱11.2K

-58.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$475 ₱29.9K

-24.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$347 ₱21.8K

-45.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$206 ₱13.0K

-11.24%

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 Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Bacolod

$174 28.6% 30.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5% 52.7% $53

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Bacolod

$178 29.4% 142% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Bacolod

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Bacolod

$75 12.4% 22.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Bacolod

$25 4.1% 17.9% $5.3

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2% 91.5% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $267 in Bacolod. 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 13% higher in Bacolod, 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 $13.00 in Karachi versus $13.00 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $155 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

561,875

💱 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 Bacolod 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Bacolod

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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $482 in Karachi, $607 in Bacolod – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $723 per month in Karachi and $911 in Bacolod. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Karachi and $13.00 in Bacolod. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Bacolod, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $482 in Karachi and $607 in Bacolod, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $482 in Karachi to $607 in Bacolod. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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