Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Island Garden City of Samal

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $747 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Island Garden City of Samal
Learn more

Island Garden City of Samal Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Island Garden City of Samal

🇵🇭 Philippines

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Island Garden City of Samal

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 Island Garden City of Samal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $482 per month in Karachi vs $747 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Karachi $482
Island Garden City of Samal $747

A couple spends around $750 per month in Karachi vs $1,102 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Karachi $750
Island Garden City of Samal $1,102

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Karachi vs $1,457 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Karachi $1,018
Island Garden City of Samal $1,457

Karachi is about 36% cheaper than Island Garden City of Samal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Island Garden City of Samal are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Island Garden City of Samal 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.22 ₱76.6

74.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$17.02 ₱1,072

-21.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.07 ₱256

33.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.09 PKR 579

$2.18 ₱137

-4.13%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$1.04 ₱65.7

-61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.64 ₱40.33

-59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ₱74.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱125

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$2.03 ₱128

-54.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.14 ₱71.5

-50.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.88 ₱55.2

42.05%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.87 ₱118

-34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$6.26 ₱394

-9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.64 ₱292

-31.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.10 ₱573

-30.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.73 ₱172

-53.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.12 ₱70.4

-52.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.38 ₱150

-57.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.14 ₱71.7

-50.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.98 ₱125

-83.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$3.41 ₱215

-90.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.21 ₱76.0

-65.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.72 ₱45.46

-38.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.49 ₱156

-26.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.29 ₱18.09

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$11.62 ₱732

-14.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.83 ₱52.0

10.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.25 ₱15.83

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.92 ₱121

12.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.24 ₱78.0

11.29%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-15.58%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

43.53%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$98.4 ₱6,196

15.28%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$19.24 ₱1,211

-69.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$31.01 ₱1,952

-57.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$29.89 ₱1,882

-27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$4.57 ₱288

298.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.87 ₱307

-13.55%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$107 ₱6,729

-51.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$7,691 ₱484.2K

-74.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$33.60 ₱2,115

-47.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$19.67 ₱1,238

19.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$70.4 ₱4,433

-2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$62.4 ₱3,929

-34.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$250 ₱15.7K

-52.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$197 ₱12.4K

-62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$504 ₱31.7K

-29.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$315 ₱19.8K

-40.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,056 ₱129.4K

-48.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,083 ₱68.2K

-55.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

8.31

58.97%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Island Garden City of Samal

$149 19.9% 12.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Island Garden City of Samal

$199 26.6% 96.4% $98

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Island Garden City of Samal

$197 26.3% 167% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Island Garden City of Samal

$84 11.2% 23.6% $16

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Island Garden City of Samal

$65 8.7% 5.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Island Garden City of Samal

$40 5.3% 32.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Island Garden City of Samal

$15 2% 4.3% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $250 in Island Garden City of Samal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Karachi versus $17.00 in Island Garden City of Samal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $199 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Island Garden City of Samal

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

116,771

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Island Garden City of Samal 6,530 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Island Garden City of Samal

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 Island Garden City of Samal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Island Garden City of Samal costs about 55% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $723 per month in Karachi and $1,121 in Island Garden City of Samal. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $482 in Karachi and $747 in Island Garden City of Samal. That's a gap of about 55%.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $482 in Karachi and $747 in Island Garden City of Samal, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

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, Island Garden City of Samal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.