Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Gili Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $812 in Gili Air, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
Learn more

Gili Air Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Gili Air

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

A single person spends $483 per month in Karachi vs $812 in Gili Air, rent included.

Karachi $483
Gili Air $812

A couple spends around $754 per month in Karachi vs $1,337 in Gili Air, rent included.

Karachi $754
Gili Air $1,337

A family of three spends $1,025 per month in Karachi vs $1,861 in Gili Air, rent included.

Karachi $1,025
Gili Air $1,861

Karachi is about 41% cheaper than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Gili Air are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Gili Air 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

14.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

-29.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

84.95%

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

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

49.65%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

-54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.44 Rp 7,928

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

-20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

-65.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

48.15%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

-14.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

-51.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

13.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

-50.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

-53.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

-38.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

-62.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

-76.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

-81.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

-43.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.38 Rp 6,869

15.79%

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

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

15.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.18 Rp 3,182

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

47.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.38 Rp 6,851

128.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.34 Rp 6,206

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

-55.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

94.37%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

-3.43%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

3.08%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

75.71%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

17.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

-10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

-32.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

75.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

69.72%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$336 Rp 6.0M

-84.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

-50.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

-53.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

-20.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

-34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$543 Rp 9.8M

-78.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$331 Rp 6.0M

-77.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

-78.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$807 Rp 14.5M

-76.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

-17.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

-55.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

13.78

-4.14%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Gili Air

$84 10.4% 36.3% $48

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Gili Air

$205 25.2% 101% $103

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Gili Air

$331 40.8% 353% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Gili Air

$87 10.7% 28.6% $19

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 6% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Gili Air

$37 4.6% 22.6% $6.9

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2% 39% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $543 in Gili Air. 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 $19.00 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $205 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

01:01 1:01 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

1,800

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Gili Air 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gili Air is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $725 per month in Karachi and $1,218 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $483 in Karachi and $812 in Gili Air. That's a gap of about 68%.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $483 in Karachi and $812 in Gili Air, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karachi – 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 Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gili Air makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.