Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Iloilo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $693 in Iloilo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$490
/mo nomad
Iloilo
🇵🇭 Philippines
$693
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Iloilo

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

A single person spends $490 per month in Karachi vs $693 in Iloilo, rent included.

  • Karachi $490
  • Iloilo $693

A couple spends around $755 per month in Karachi vs $1,054 in Iloilo, rent included.

  • Karachi $755
  • Iloilo $1,054

A family of three spends $1,019 per month in Karachi vs $1,416 in Iloilo, rent included.

  • Karachi $1,019
  • Iloilo $1,416

Karachi is about 29% cheaper than Iloilo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Iloilo are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 63% lower, Iloilo 48% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.15 PKR 596
$2.83 ₱177
-24.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.37 PKR 3,700
$19.43 ₱1,219
-31.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.29 PKR 1,464
$3.15 ₱198
67.94%
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
$2.09 ₱131
0.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PKR 103
$0.65 ₱40.93
-43.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 PKR 78.2
$0.34 ₱21.39
-17.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.06 ₱66.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.81 ₱113
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 PKR 238
$1.69 ₱106
-49.11%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 PKR 144
$1.20 ₱75.1
-56.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.24 PKR 344
$0.84 ₱52.9
47.62%
Eggs
$1.24 PKR 342
$2.06 ₱129
-39.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.86 PKR 1,622
$6.05 ₱379
-3.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 PKR 862
$4.04 ₱254
-22.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.25 PKR 1,731
$6.18 ₱388
1.13%
Apples (1kg)
$1.29 PKR 356
$3.32 ₱208
-61.14%
Banana (1kg)
$0.54 PKR 150
$1.04 ₱65.3
-48.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.99 PKR 273
$3.06 ₱192
-67.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 PKR 155
$1.38 ₱86.4
-59.42%
Potato (1kg)
$0.33 PKR 91.6
$2.39 ₱150
-86.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 PKR 95.9
$2.71 ₱170
-87.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.45 PKR 124
$1.47 ₱92.4
-69.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 PKR 121
$0.81 ₱50.8
-45.68%
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
$2.99 ₱188
-40.13%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$6.19 ₱388
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.10 ₱68.8
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.26 ₱78.8
-
🚌 Getting Around
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 PKR 76.5
$0.24 ₱15.09
16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.68 PKR 2,679
$4.59 ₱288
110.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.92 PKR 255
$0.82 ₱51.4
12.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.71 PKR 196
$0.34 ₱21.10
108.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.22 PKR 615
$2.36 ₱148
-5.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 PKR 372
$1.16 ₱72.9
16.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.8K PKR 4.9M
$21.8K ₱1.4M
-18.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K PKR 7.4M
$19.5K ₱1.2M
36.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 PKR 30.9K
$64.5 ₱4,044
73.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.05 PKR 1,673
$9.82 ₱616
-38.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.29 PKR 3,679
$27.65 ₱1,734
-51.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.51 PKR 5,954
$9.76 ₱612
120.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.80 PKR 4,927
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.42 PKR 1,222
$4.70 ₱295
-5.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$50.7 PKR 14.0K
$31.77 ₱1,993
59.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,957 PKR 541.6K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.57 PKR 4,862
$23.50 ₱1,474
-25.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.78 PKR 6,304
$17.74 ₱1,113
28.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.6 PKR 18.7K
$55.5 ₱3,480
21.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.97 PKR 11.3K
$23.96 ₱1,503
70.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$117 PKR 32.5K
$308 ₱19.3K
-61.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$75.7 PKR 21.0K
$246 ₱15.4K
-69.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$365 PKR 101.1K
$1,184 ₱74.3K
-69.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$182 PKR 50.5K
$436 ₱27.4K
-58.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,054 PKR 291.6K
$3,633 ₱227.9K
-71.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$491 PKR 135.8K
$1,055 ₱66.2K
-53.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karachi
Iloilo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$185 PKR 51.2K
$206 ₱12.9K
-10.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.21
7.33
80.22%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Iloilo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karachi
$131
Iloilo
$102 22.3% $29
Groceries & Markets
Karachi
$101
Iloilo
$188 86.5% $87
Accommodation & Living
Karachi
$76
Iloilo
$246 225% $171
Clothing & Footwear
Karachi
$67
Iloilo
$54 18.9% $13
Eating Out
Karachi
$61
Iloilo
$70 15% $9.1
Sport & Entertainment
Karachi
$30
Iloilo
$19 36.8% $11
Getting Around
Karachi
$15
Iloilo
$8.1 47.1% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $117 in Karachi versus $308 in Iloilo. 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 11% higher in Iloilo, 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 $19.00 in Iloilo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $188 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Karachi
🇵🇭 Iloilo
🕒 Local time
15:21 3:21 PM
18:21 6:21 PM
3 h ahead of Karachi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,910,352
457,626
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karachi Iloilo 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karachi
  • Iloilo

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 Iloilo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iloilo cheaper than Karachi?
Yes – Iloilo is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $735 per month in Karachi and $1,040 in Iloilo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Karachi or in Iloilo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Karachi and $19.00 in Iloilo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Karachi and in Iloilo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $490 in Karachi and $693 in Iloilo. That's a gap of about 41%.
Is $1,200 enough for either Karachi or Iloilo?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $490 in Karachi and $693 in Iloilo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Karachi or Iloilo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Karachi or Iloilo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iloilo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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