Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,108 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
Learn more

Kaohsiung Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Kaohsiung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $1,108 in Kaohsiung.

Karachi $490
Kaohsiung $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,821 in Kaohsiung.

Karachi $755
Kaohsiung $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $2,535 in Kaohsiung.

Karachi $1,019
Kaohsiung $2,535

Living in Karachi costs roughly 56% less than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Kaohsiung 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$5.46 NT$174

-60.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$31.96 NT$1,020

-58.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.87 NT$155

8.62%

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

$2.83 NT$90.4

-25.44%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$1.14 NT$36.40

-67.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.71 NT$22.76

-60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.5

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$3.25 NT$104

-73.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$2.19 NT$69.7

-76.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$3.07 NT$98.1

-59.61%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.67 NT$85.2

-53.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$16.13 NT$515

-63.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$8.08 NT$258

-61.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$15.24 NT$486

-58.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$6.80 NT$217

-81.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$2.82 NT$90.1

-80.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$2.57 NT$82.0

-61.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$3.08 NT$98.4

-81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$2.84 NT$90.7

-88.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$2.06 NT$65.8

-83.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$2.45 NT$78.2

-81.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.04 NT$33.18

-57.69%

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

$4.54 NT$145

-60.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.68 NT$21.68

-58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$12.67 NT$404

-23.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$2.76 NT$88.0

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.75 NT$23.98

-5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$5.51 NT$176

-59.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.02 NT$32.50

32.35%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-46.97%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$23.0K NT$735.3K

16.04%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$84.8 NT$2,705

31.87%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$17.34 NT$553

-65.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$25.77 NT$822

-48.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$41.21 NT$1,315

-47.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$10.41 NT$332

70.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$10.96 NT$350

-59.67%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$462 NT$14.7K

-89.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$14.1K NT$449.2K

-86.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$93.5 NT$2,982

-81.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$31.88 NT$1,017

-28.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$85.9 NT$2,740

-21.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$104 NT$3,314

-60.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$415 NT$13.2K

-71.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$276 NT$8,808

-72.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$979 NT$31.2K

-62.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$668 NT$21.3K

-72.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$4,588 NT$146.4K

-77.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$3,154 NT$100.7K

-84.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$1,462 NT$46.7K

-87.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

2.56

416.02%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 2.5% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 265% $267

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 265% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 112% $75

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 84.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 108% $33

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 43.7% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 691% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $32.00 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $368 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Kaohsiung 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Kaohsiung differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $1,108 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 691% lower in Kaohsiung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $117 in Karachi versus $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $50.7 in Karachi versus $462 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 265% higher in Kaohsiung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,108 in Kaohsiung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Kaohsiung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.