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

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Karachi is 13.1% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 11.9% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Karachi is 11.7% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 15.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.09 PKRĀ 584
$2.91 PKRĀ 812
-28.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.54 PKRĀ 3,502
$14.19 PKRĀ 3,963
-11.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.18 PKRĀ 1,168
$5.20 PKRĀ 1,453
-19.62%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 PKRĀ 555
$1.79 PKRĀ 499
11.17%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.15 PKRĀ 1,439
$3.98 PKRĀ 1,111
29.40%
Cappuccino
$1.90 PKRĀ 531
$1.99 PKRĀ 555
-4.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PKRĀ 102
$0.43 PKRĀ 120
-13.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 PKRĀ 64.4
$0.24 PKRĀ 67.3
-4.17%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 PKRĀ 239
$1.01 PKRĀ 283
-14.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.55 PKRĀ 153
$0.65 PKRĀ 182
-15.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 PKRĀ 328
$1.28 PKRĀ 357
-8.59%
Eggs
$1.17 PKRĀ 326
$1.23 PKRĀ 343
-4.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.40 PKRĀ 1,787
$6.12 PKRĀ 1,710
4.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.26 PKRĀ 909
$3.37 PKRĀ 941
-3.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.01 PKRĀ 1,400
$4.51 PKRĀ 1,258
11.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.08 PKRĀ 300
$0.99 PKRĀ 277
9.09%
Banana (1kg)
$0.55 PKRĀ 155
$0.80 PKRĀ 223
-31.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.88 PKRĀ 245
$0.94 PKRĀ 262
-6.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.54 PKRĀ 150
$0.61 PKRĀ 169
-11.48%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 PKRĀ 98.5
$0.41 PKRĀ 115
-14.63%
Onion (1kg)
$0.48 PKRĀ 133
$0.56 PKRĀ 157
-14.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 PKRĀ 98.8
$0.31 PKRĀ 85.8
12.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 PKRĀ 121
$0.37 PKRĀ 104
16.22%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.44 PKRĀ 402
$1.93 PKRĀ 538
-25.39%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 PKRĀ 367
$0.92 PKRĀ 258
43.48%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 PKRĀ 594
$2.04 PKRĀ 568
4.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.16 PKRĀ 602
$2.15 PKRĀ 601
0.47%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 PKRĀ 93.9
$0.17 PKRĀ 46.25
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.20 PKRĀ 1,732
$6.96 PKRĀ 1,943
-10.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.68 PKRĀ 190
$0.90 PKRĀ 252
-24.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.67 PKRĀ 188
$0.41 PKRĀ 114
63.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.75 PKRĀ 487
$2.75 PKRĀ 767
-36.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 PKRĀ 242
$0.90 PKRĀ 252
-3.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.3K PKRĀ 4.6M
$21.2K PKRĀ 5.9M
-22.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K PKRĀ 7.0M
$26.4K PKRĀ 7.4M
-5.11%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$133 PKRĀ 37.1K
$112 PKRĀ 31.2K
18.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.83 PKRĀ 1,348
$5.39 PKRĀ 1,506
-10.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.44 PKRĀ 3,753
$18.43 PKRĀ 5,146
-27.08%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.83 PKRĀ 4,422
$22.69 PKRĀ 6,335
-30.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.50 PKRĀ 4,050
$5.92 PKRĀ 1,654
144.93%
Cinema Ticket
$4.14 PKRĀ 1,155
$4.21 PKRĀ 1,176
-1.66%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$57.7 PKRĀ 16.1K
$60.6 PKRĀ 16.9K
-4.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,378 PKRĀ 384.8K
$2,746 PKRĀ 766.9K
-49.83%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.74 PKRĀ 4,954
$21.22 PKRĀ 5,927
-16.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.73 PKRĀ 7,184
$28.07 PKRĀ 7,839
-8.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.8 PKRĀ 17.8K
$87.0 PKRĀ 24.3K
-26.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.69 PKRĀ 10.2K
$40.27 PKRĀ 11.2K
-8.89%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$119 PKRĀ 33.2K
$200 PKRĀ 56.0K
-40.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.2 PKRĀ 21.3K
$110 PKRĀ 30.8K
-31.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$321 PKRĀ 89.6K
$513 PKRĀ 143.1K
-37.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$181 PKRĀ 50.5K
$289 PKRĀ 80.8K
-37.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$764 PKRĀ 213.3K
$1,548 PKRĀ 432.3K
-50.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$461 PKRĀ 128.7K
$732 PKRĀ 204.5K
-37.04%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Karachi
Islamabad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$171 PKRĀ 47.7K
$303 PKRĀ 84.7K
-43.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.8
20.2
-11.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Karachi: March 2, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: March 2, 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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