Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
Learn more

Hong Kong Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $490 per month in Karachi vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Karachi $490
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $755 per month in Karachi vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Karachi $755
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $1,019 per month in Karachi vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Karachi $1,019
Hong Kong $6,132

Karachi is about 84% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Karachi sits 63% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 123% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$8.46 HK$66.4

-74.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$63.2 HK$496

-78.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$6.20 HK$48.66

-14.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$4.90 HK$38.41

-56.94%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$1.27 HK$10.01

-70.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$1.06 HK$8.31

-73.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$2.86 HK$22.45

-69.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$2.43 HK$19.10

-78.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.18 HK$17.09

-43.12%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$3.54 HK$27.80

-64.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$25.12 HK$197

-76.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$8.89 HK$69.8

-64.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$17.63 HK$138

-64.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$4.11 HK$32.22

-68.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$2.72 HK$21.32

-80.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$4.59 HK$36.05

-78.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$4.02 HK$31.52

-86.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$3.25 HK$25.50

-89.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$3.27 HK$25.70

-89.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$1.60 HK$12.54

-71.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.73 HK$13.56

-74.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$13.14 HK$103

-86.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$1.44 HK$11.31

-80.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$89.1 HK$699

-89.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$3.64 HK$28.53

-74.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.31 HK$10.29

-45.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$15.82 HK$124

-85.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$4.06 HK$31.89

-66.75%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-59.79%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$37.4K HK$293.2K

-28.44%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$247 HK$1,942

-54.82%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$15.89 HK$125

-61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$21.46 HK$168

-38.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$91.4 HK$717

-76.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$9.08 HK$71.3

96.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$13.96 HK$110

-68.34%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$1,155 HK$9,067

-95.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-91.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$68.9 HK$541

-74.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$40.44 HK$317

-43.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$79.9 HK$627

-15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$118 HK$923

-65.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-94.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-95.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-92.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-94.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-96.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-97.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$3,228 HK$25.3K

-94.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.91

237.85%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 117% $154

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 312% $314

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 2169% $1.6K

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 106% $71

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 237% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 293% $89

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 589% $90

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $117 in Karachi versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. 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 1646% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Karachi versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $415 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

21:50 9:50 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Hong Kong 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $490 in Karachi, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 509% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $735 per month in Karachi and $4,476 in Hong Kong. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Karachi and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $490 in Karachi and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 509%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karachi, where all-in costs run around $490, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Karachi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $490 in Karachi to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.