Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Islamabad Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Islamabad

🙂 Solo nomad: Karachi is 13.7% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 12.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Karachi is 12.4% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 17.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 PKR 611

$2.76 PKR 779

-21.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.19 PKR 3,438

$14.05 PKR 3,963

-13.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.15 PKR 1,171

$5.44 PKR 1,534

-23.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 PKR 563

$1.73 PKR 489

15.61%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 PKR 1,503

$3.81 PKR 1,074

39.90%

Cappuccino

$1.90 PKR 535

$2.00 PKR 563

-5.00%

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

$0.34 PKR 95.4

$0.39 PKR 110

-12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 65.1

$0.24 PKR 68.0

-4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 PKR 240

$0.99 PKR 280

-14.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 PKR 163

$0.67 PKR 189

-13.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 PKR 329

$1.23 PKR 348

-4.88%

Eggs

$1.16 PKR 327

$1.23 PKR 346

-5.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.31 PKR 1,781

$6.33 PKR 1,786

-0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 PKR 922

$3.38 PKR 954

-3.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.11 PKR 1,441

$4.33 PKR 1,222

18.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 PKR 306

$1.04 PKR 294

3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 154

$0.78 PKR 220

-29.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 PKR 249

$0.96 PKR 272

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 150

$0.56 PKR 157

-5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 108

$0.41 PKR 117

-7.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 135

$0.57 PKR 162

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 PKR 99.2

$0.33 PKR 94.1

6.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 PKR 115

$0.37 PKR 106

10.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.56 PKR 440

$1.92 PKR 543

-18.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 354

$0.86 PKR 242

45.35%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 PKR 587

$1.97 PKR 555

5.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 PKR 584

$2.14 PKR 604

-3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 PKR 103

$0.19 PKR 53.6

89.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.46 PKR 1,821

$7.25 PKR 2,044

-10.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 PKR 197

$0.86 PKR 243

-18.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 PKR 185

$0.44 PKR 124

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 PKR 507

$2.81 PKR 793

-35.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 260

$0.90 PKR 254

2.22%

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

$16.5K PKR 4.7M

$21.0K PKR 5.9M

-21.38%

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

$25.4K PKR 7.2M

$26.2K PKR 7.4M

-2.95%

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

$136 PKR 38.4K

$111 PKR 31.2K

23.12%

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

$4.85 PKR 1,368

$5.53 PKR 1,559

-12.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.74 PKR 3,873

$18.50 PKR 5,217

-25.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.46 PKR 4,360

$22.98 PKR 6,481

-32.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 PKR 3,987

$6.07 PKR 1,711

132.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PKR 1,220

$4.29 PKR 1,211

0.70%

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

$56.7 PKR 16.0K

$59.1 PKR 16.7K

-3.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,388 PKR 391.4K

$2,792 PKR 787.2K

-50.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.33 PKR 4,887

$21.28 PKR 6,001

-18.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.38 PKR 7,156

$28.32 PKR 7,987

-10.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 PKR 18.3K

$89.1 PKR 25.1K

-27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.62 PKR 10.0K

$40.51 PKR 11.4K

-12.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$119 PKR 33.5K

$196 PKR 55.3K

-39.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.7K

$110 PKR 30.9K

-32.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 PKR 89.4K

$517 PKR 145.7K

-38.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 PKR 50.3K

$294 PKR 82.8K

-39.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$726 PKR 204.6K

$1,529 PKR 431.2K

-52.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$435 PKR 122.6K

$750 PKR 211.6K

-42.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 PKR 49.5K

$285 PKR 80.4K

-38.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.8

20.2

-11.88%

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

Last update for Karachi: January 11, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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