Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $628 in General Santos, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in General Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $628 in General Santos.

Karachi $482
General Santos $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,009 in General Santos.

Karachi $750
General Santos $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,391 in General Santos.

Karachi $1,018
General Santos $1,391

Living in Karachi costs roughly 23% less than in General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, General Santos 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.38 ₱213

-36.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$27.40 ₱1,725

-51.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$2.72 ₱172

100.37%

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

$2.56 ₱161

-18.36%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.28 ₱17.41

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.25 ₱15.83

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$2.00 ₱126

-54.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.08 ₱68.2

-48.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.87 ₱54.7

43.68%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.86 ₱117

-33.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$6.38 ₱402

-11.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.77 ₱300

-33.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.25 ₱582

-32.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.74 ₱172

-54.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.07 ₱67.2

-50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.45 ₱154

-59.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.19 ₱74.6

-52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.98 ₱125

-83.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$3.28 ₱207

-89.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.24 ₱78.2

-66.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.68 ₱42.60

-35.29%

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

$2.46 ₱155

-25.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.39 ₱24.37

-28.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$8.15 ₱513

22.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.78 ₱49.25

17.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.25 ₱15.79

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$0.82 ₱51.4

163.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.12 ₱70.7

23.21%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-14.24%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

41.64%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$76.6 ₱4,825

48.03%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$6.53 ₱411

-8.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$31.67 ₱1,994

-58.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.91 ₱309

-14.26%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$109 ₱6,840

-52.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$7,532 ₱474.2K

-74.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$59.8 ₱3,767

-70.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$30.67 ₱1,931

-23.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$70.3 ₱4,428

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$60.7 ₱3,823

-33.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$174 ₱11.0K

-32.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$112 ₱7,068

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$359 ₱22.6K

-0.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$238 ₱15.0K

-21.13%

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

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 11, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 13.4% $18

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 96.6% $98

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 52.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 47.2% $32

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 31.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 67.2% $20

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 24.4% $3.8

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 $174 in General Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $27.00 in General Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $199 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

697,315

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi General Santos 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in General Santos. 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 $723 in Karachi and $942 in General Santos 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 $174 in General Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $27.00 in General Santos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $628 in General Santos – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 General Santos 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 30% less than in General Santos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.