Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Darkhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $655 in Darkhan, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Darkhan despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
Learn more

Darkhan Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Darkhan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $655 in Darkhan.

Karachi $490
Darkhan $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,075 in Darkhan.

Karachi $755
Darkhan $1,075

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,496 in Darkhan.

Karachi $1,019
Darkhan $1,496

Living in Karachi costs roughly 25% less than in Darkhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Darkhan 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$5.46 MNT 19.6K

-60.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$31.74 MNT 114.0K

-57.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

-5.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$2.39 MNT 8,575

-11.72%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.87 MNT 3,140

-57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.57 MNT 2,065

-50.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MNT 8,427

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 MNT 12.3K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.44 MNT 5,184

-40.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.02 MNT 3,653

-49.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.06 MNT 7,389

-39.81%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.16 MNT 7,750

-42.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

-52.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$4.87 MNT 17.5K

-35.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$7.44 MNT 26.7K

-15.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$3.21 MNT 11.5K

-59.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$2.39 MNT 8,592

-77.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$3.84 MNT 13.8K

-74.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$3.07 MNT 11.0K

-81.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$0.71 MNT 2,567

-53.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.05 MNT 3,772

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$1.71 MNT 6,146

-73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.73 MNT 2,626

-39.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$1.67 MNT 5,985

7.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.29 MNT 37.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MNT 5,126

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MNT 6,455

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$0.55 MNT 1,967

67.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.54 MNT 1,950

31.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

-65.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.07 MNT 3,852

26.17%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$27.3K MNT 98.2M

-34.73%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$35.4K MNT 127.4M

-24.56%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$70.6 MNT 253.8K

58.29%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$7.68 MNT 27.6K

-21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$13.82 MNT 49.7K

-3.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

4.25%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$831 MNT 3.0M

-93.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$8,568 MNT 30.8M

-77.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$83.5 MNT 299.8K

-78.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$45.49 MNT 163.5K

-49.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$103 MNT 371.8K

-34.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$185 MNT 665.6K

-77.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

10.32

28.00%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Darkhan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Darkhan

$92 14.3% 29.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Darkhan

$238 37% 136% $137

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Darkhan

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Darkhan

$188 29.2% 181% $121

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Darkhan

$114 17.7% 86.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Darkhan

$8.5 * 1.3% 72% $22

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Darkhan

$3.3 * 0.5% 78.6% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $32.00 in Darkhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $238 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

74,738

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,026 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi Darkhan 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Darkhan

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 Darkhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Darkhan. 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 $735 in Karachi and $983 in Darkhan 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.

Childcare runs $50.7 in Karachi versus $831 in Darkhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $32.00 in Darkhan. 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.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Darkhan 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 34% less than in Darkhan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.