Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $764 in Cotabato City, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
Learn more

Cotabato City Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Cotabato City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $764 in Cotabato City.

Karachi $483
Cotabato City $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $1,169 in Cotabato City.

Karachi $754
Cotabato City $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $1,574 in Cotabato City.

Karachi $1,025
Cotabato City $1,574

Living in Karachi costs roughly 37% less than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Cotabato City 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$4.65 ₱293

-54.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$16.57 ₱1,044

-17.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$4.00 ₱252

38.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$2.23 ₱141

-4.04%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$1.04 ₱65.4

-61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.64 ₱40.49

-56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₱120

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$2.02 ₱127

-55.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.08 ₱68.0

-49.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.78 ₱49.16

53.85%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.89 ₱119

-33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$6.41 ₱404

-7.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$4.67 ₱294

-31.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$9.06 ₱570

-28.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.73 ₱172

-54.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$1.11 ₱69.9

-52.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$2.44 ₱154

-57.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$1.20 ₱75.3

-57.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$1.94 ₱122

-84.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$3.55 ₱224

-91.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$1.20 ₱75.4

-65.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.71 ₱44.58

-38.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$2.47 ₱156

-25.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 ₱507

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.26 ₱16.40

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$11.02 ₱694

-10.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.84 ₱52.8

3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.23 ₱14.37

221.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.94 ₱122

14.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.18 ₱74.4

16.95%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-14.55%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

41.55%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$108 ₱6,788

5.07%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$19.38 ₱1,220

-68.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$31.55 ₱1,986

-58.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$32.71 ₱2,060

-33.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$4.78 ₱301

282.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.64 ₱292

-8.19%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$107 ₱6,709

-51.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$7,519 ₱473.4K

-74.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$33.49 ₱2,109

-47.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$19.69 ₱1,240

16.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$71.2 ₱4,483

-4.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$60.8 ₱3,825

-31.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$270 ₱17.0K

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$174 ₱11.0K

-57.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$524 ₱33.0K

-31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$357 ₱22.5K

-47.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$2,445 ₱154.0K

-55.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$999 ₱62.9K

-52.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

8.31

58.97%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Cotabato City

$159 20.8% 19.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Cotabato City

$199 26.1% 95.2% $97

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Cotabato City

$174 22.8% 138% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Cotabato City

$83 10.9% 23.4% $16

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Cotabato City

$92 12.1% 49.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Cotabato City

$42 5.5% 38.6% $12

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Cotabato City

$14 1.8% 9.3% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $270 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Karachi vs $17.00 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $199 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

325,079

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Cotabato City 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Cotabato City

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 Cotabato City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Cotabato City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $725 in Karachi and $1,146 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $270 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $483 per month in Karachi versus $764 in Cotabato City – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 12% less than in Cotabato City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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 58% less than in Cotabato City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.