Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Derby

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $2,318 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Derby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $2,318 in Derby.

Karachi $482
Derby $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $3,507 in Derby.

Karachi $750
Derby $3,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $4,696 in Derby.

Karachi $1,018
Derby $4,696

Living in Karachi costs roughly 79% less than in Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karachi is 64% below, Derby is 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$18.32 A$26.25

-88.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,681

$77.8 A$111

-82.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$10.79 A$15.45

-49.49%

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 580

$3.96 A$5.67

-47.22%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$3.03 A$4.35

-86.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$1.91 A$2.74

-86.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 A$10.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 A$10.71

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.75 A$2.50

-47.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$2.86 A$4.10

-80.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$2.08 A$2.98

-39.90%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 342

$4.62 A$6.62

-73.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,571

$9.77 A$13.99

-41.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$8.94 A$12.80

-64.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,738

$13.60 A$19.48

-53.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.48 A$4.98

-63.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$2.98 A$4.28

-82.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$3.36 A$4.81

-70.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$4.69 A$6.72

-88.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$2.48 A$3.56

-86.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.46 A$3.53

-86.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$2.35 A$3.37

-82.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.73 A$2.48

-74.57%

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 671

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$40.51 A$58.0

-95.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 A$22.27

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.83 A$6.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 A$8.09

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$2.54 A$3.64

-88.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,765

$87.6 A$125

-88.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$3.03 A$4.35

-69.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.55 A$2.22

-54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$37.67 A$54.0

-94.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.16 A$1.67

18.97%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$24.0K A$34.4K

-25.41%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$30.8K A$44.1K

-11.93%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$177 A$253

-35.85%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$24.66 A$35.32

-75.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,643

$59.9 A$85.9

-78.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,966

$48.44 A$69.4

-55.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,045

$15.35 A$21.98

18.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$13.46 A$19.27

-68.72%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$2,070 A$2,965

-97.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.1K

$18.4K A$26.4K

-89.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,859

$67.0 A$96.0

-73.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,507

$62.2 A$89.1

-62.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$91.0 A$130

-24.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$131 A$188

-69.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$1,518 A$2,174

-92.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$1,048 A$1,501

-92.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 99.0K

$2,154 A$3,086

-83.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$1,853 A$2,654

-89.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.5K

$5,285 A$7,571

-79.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$4,699 A$6,731

-89.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

5.84

126.20%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Derby: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Derby

$261 11.3% 97.2% $129

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Derby

$369 15.9% 264% $268

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Derby

$1K 45.2% 1324% $974

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Derby

$158 6.8% 134% $91

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Derby

$298 12.8% 387% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Derby

$75 3.3% 151% $45

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Derby

$109 4.7% 599% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $1,518 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $78.0 in Derby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $369 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇦🇺 Derby

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

3,300

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Derby 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Derby

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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Derby differ by about 381% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $2,318 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $723 in Karachi and $3,477 in Derby 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 $1,518 in Derby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 264% higher in Derby. 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 $78.0 in Derby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $482 in Karachi versus $2,318 in Derby, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Derby. 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 Derby 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 381% less than in Derby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.