Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,067 in Chiayi, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
Learn more

Chiayi Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Chiayi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $1,067 in Chiayi.

Karachi $482
Chiayi $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,503 in Chiayi.

Karachi $750
Chiayi $1,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,940 in Chiayi.

Karachi $1,018
Chiayi $1,940

Living in Karachi costs roughly 55% less than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Chiayi 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$4.83 NT$157

-55.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$46.84 NT$1,519

-71.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.70 NT$185

-4.39%

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

$3.36 NT$109

-37.80%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.88 NT$28.58

-54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.67 NT$21.68

-61.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$3.10 NT$101

-70.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$2.06 NT$66.8

-72.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$3.04 NT$98.6

-58.88%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.66 NT$86.3

-53.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$19.77 NT$641

-71.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$9.75 NT$316

-67.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$20.98 NT$680

-70.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$4.87 NT$158

-74.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$3.22 NT$104

-83.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.99 NT$97.0

-66.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$4.55 NT$148

-87.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$2.80 NT$90.9

-88.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.35 NT$76.3

-85.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.68 NT$54.3

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.14 NT$37.04

-61.40%

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

$4.01 NT$130

-54.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.43 NT$403

-19.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$2.64 NT$85.5

-65.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.46 NT$14.94

52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$9.66 NT$313

-77.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.06 NT$34.43

30.19%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$32.9K NT$1.1M

-45.52%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$24.5K NT$795.8K

10.36%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$66.7 NT$2,164

69.99%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$17.52 NT$568

-66.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$26.93 NT$873

-51.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$31.82 NT$1,032

-32.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$9.84 NT$319

-57.22%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$660 NT$21.4K

-92.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$16.8K NT$543.4K

-88.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$62.3 NT$2,020

-71.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$39.44 NT$1,279

-40.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$85.2 NT$2,763

-19.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$104 NT$3,383

-61.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$369 NT$12.0K

-68.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$253 NT$8,194

-70.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$3,179 NT$103.1K

-66.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,910 NT$61.9K

-74.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$2,110 NT$68.4K

-91.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

2.4

450.42%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Chiayi

$111 10.4% 16.1% $21

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Chiayi

$379 35.5% 275% $278

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Chiayi

$253 23.7% 243% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Chiayi

$131 12.3% 93.5% $63

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Chiayi

$124 11.6% 103% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Chiayi

$51 4.8% 71.8% $22

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 11.9% $1.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $369 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 1054% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $47.00 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $379 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

269,874

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Chiayi 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Chiayi

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 Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Chiayi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1054% lower in Chiayi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $369 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $1,067 in Chiayi – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 24% less than in Chiayi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,067 in Chiayi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Chiayi. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Chiayi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Chiayi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.