Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Gilgit

For one person, living is cheaper in Gilgit: $439 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Gilgit
Learn more

Gilgit Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Gilgit

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Gilgit

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

A single person spends $483 per month in Karachi vs $439 in Gilgit, rent included.

Karachi $483
Gilgit $439

A couple spends around $754 per month in Karachi vs $656 in Gilgit, rent included.

Karachi $754
Gilgit $656

A family of three spends $1,025 per month in Karachi vs $872 in Gilgit, rent included.

Karachi $1,025
Gilgit $872

Karachi costs about 10% more than Gilgit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Karachi and Gilgit are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Gilgit 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$1.48 PKR 411

42.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$10.94 PKR 3,029

25.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$5.30 PKR 1,467

4.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$2.60 PKR 719

-15.38%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$5.29 PKR 1,464

39.32%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$1.64 PKR 454

30.49%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.32 PKR 89.9

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.21 PKR 58.3

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.79 PKR 220

13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.64 PKR 176

-14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.14 PKR 315

5.26%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.14 PKR 316

9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$5.62 PKR 1,556

6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.46 PKR 682

29.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$4.86 PKR 1,344

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.17 PKR 325

5.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.55 PKR 152

-3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$0.79 PKR 219

30.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.56 PKR 155

-8.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.30 PKR 83.8

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.39 PKR 107

-20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.45 PKR 124

-8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.37 PKR 103

18.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$1.80 PKR 499

-27.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.11 PKR 307

19.82%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.34 PKR 649

3.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$1.95 PKR 539

-6.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.17 PKR 48.31

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$10.11 PKR 2,797

-2.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.06 PKR 292

-17.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.71 PKR 196

4.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.61 PKR 444

38.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.18 PKR 326

16.95%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$21.3K PKR 5.9M

-14.01%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$24.4K PKR 6.7M

8.48%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$100 PKR 27.7K

13.08%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$5.54 PKR 1,535

10.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$14.42 PKR 3,991

-9.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$15.11 PKR 4,182

44.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$8.27 PKR 2,289

120.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.35 PKR 1,204

-2.07%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$43.23 PKR 12.0K

20.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$1,055 PKR 292.1K

83.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$17.11 PKR 4,735

2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$23.40 PKR 6,476

-2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$66.6 PKR 18.4K

2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$33.21 PKR 9,191

25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$126 PKR 34.8K

-6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$76.8 PKR 21.3K

-4.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$257 PKR 71.0K

40.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$150 PKR 41.6K

25.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$926 PKR 256.4K

16.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

-0.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

1.62%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gilgit: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Gilgit

$120 27.4% 9.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Gilgit

$90 20.6% 11.6% $12

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Gilgit

$77 17.5% 4.9% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Gilgit

$63 14.4% 6.5% $4.4

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Gilgit

$50 11.3% 19.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Gilgit

$24 5.4% 21.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Gilgit

$15 3.5% 0.5% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $126 in Gilgit. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Karachi versus $11.00 in Gilgit. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $90.0 – making Gilgit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Gilgit

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

216,760

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Gilgit 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Gilgit

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 Gilgit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi costs about 10% more than Gilgit, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $725 per month in Karachi and $659 in Gilgit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gilgit, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Karachi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Karachi and $11.00 in Gilgit. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $483 in Karachi and $439 in Gilgit, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gilgit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Gilgit. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karachi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.