Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Guwahati

For one person, living is cheaper in Guwahati: $397 a month against $495 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Guwahati
Learn more

Guwahati Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Guwahati

🇮🇳 India

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Guwahati

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

A single person spends $495 per month in Karachi vs $397 in Guwahati, rent included.

Karachi $495
Guwahati $397

A couple spends around $770 per month in Karachi vs $664 in Guwahati, rent included.

Karachi $770
Guwahati $664

A family of three spends $1,046 per month in Karachi vs $931 in Guwahati, rent included.

Karachi $1,046
Guwahati $931

Karachi costs about 25% more than Guwahati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Karachi and Guwahati are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Guwahati 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$2.83 ₹269

-21.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$11.50 ₹1,095

11.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$5.21 ₹496

1.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$2.45 ₹233

-11.84%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.40 ₹38.45

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.15 ₹14.14

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₹123

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₹320

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$0.67 ₹63.9

34.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.46 ₹43.88

13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$0.54 ₹51.7

122.22%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$0.93 ₹88.8

34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$4.07 ₹387

43.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$3.30 ₹314

-5.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$2.28 ₹217

-43.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.70 ₹66.9

-22.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$0.90 ₹85.3

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.61 ₹58.3

-8.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.35 ₹33.63

-2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$0.35 ₹33.28

-11.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.33 ₹31.43

24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.29 ₹27.81

48.28%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$5.11 ₹486

-65.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.23 ₹689

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₹164

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₹233

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.96 ₹472

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.20 ₹19.04

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

$5.15 ₹490

127.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.73 ₹69.5

26.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.30 ₹28.79

143.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$1.33 ₹127

66.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.10 ₹105

20.91%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

61.88%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$16.4K ₹1.6M

61.12%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$34.80 ₹3,314

222.33%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$3.33 ₹317

79.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$6.43 ₹612

104.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,826

$12.01 ₹1,144

105.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$10.02 ₹954

82.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$3.21 ₹306

35.20%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$27.18 ₹2,588

147.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

$2,201 ₹209.6K

-13.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$16.96 ₹1,615

3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,097

$30.82 ₹2,935

-28.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$37.87 ₹3,606

80.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$27.59 ₹2,627

47.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$154 ₹14.6K

-11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$89.4 ₹8,508

-8.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$359 ₹34.2K

9.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$263 ₹25.1K

-21.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$742 ₹70.7K

40.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$519 ₹49.4K

-7.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

$336 ₹32.0K

-45.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

7.38

79.00%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guwahati: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Guwahati

$45 11.2% 66.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Guwahati

$103 25.9% 1.2% $1.3

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Guwahati

$89 22.5% 8.8% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Guwahati

$51 12.8% 23.8% $16

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Guwahati

$83 20.9% 34% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Guwahati

$18 4.6% 44.7% $15

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Guwahati

$8.2 2.1% 52.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Karachi versus $154 in Guwahati. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 82% higher in Guwahati, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Karachi versus $12 in Guwahati. Groceries tell a different story – $102 in Karachi vs $103 in Guwahati – so Karachi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇳 Guwahati

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

30 min ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

1,000,000

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Guwahati 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Guwahati

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 Guwahati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karachi is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $742 per month in Karachi and $596 in Guwahati. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $154 in Guwahati.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Karachi and $12 in Guwahati. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Guwahati. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $495 in Karachi and $397 in Guwahati, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Karachi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $397 in Guwahati to $495 in Karachi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.