Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Karak

For one person, living is cheaper in Karak: $434 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $590 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Karak
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Karak Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Karak

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Karak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $434 in Karak.

Karachi $483
Karak $434

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $636 in Karak.

Karachi $754
Karak $636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $838 in Karak.

Karachi $1,025
Karak $838

Living in Karachi is roughly 11% more expensive than in Karak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Karak 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$0.70 PKR 193

201.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$7.41 PKR 2,050

85.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$5.38 PKR 1,489

2.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$0.73 PKR 203

201.37%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$7.01 PKR 1,939

5.14%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$0.57 PKR 157

275.44%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.36 PKR 98.5

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.23 PKR 63.9

21.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.93 PKR 258

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.53 PKR 145

3.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.05 PKR 292

14.29%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.10 PKR 304

13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$1.78 PKR 492

234.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.93 PKR 810

8.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$4.41 PKR 1,221

46.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.69 PKR 192

79.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.55 PKR 153

-3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$0.75 PKR 207

37.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.52 PKR 144

-1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.29 PKR 80.5

6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.38 PKR 106

-18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.17 PKR 48.32

141.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.24 PKR 65.8

83.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$1.86 PKR 515

-29.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.19 PKR 331

11.76%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.35 PKR 652

2.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$2.33 PKR 645

-21.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.19 PKR 51.7

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$9.86 PKR 2,730

-0.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.23 PKR 341

-29.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.70 PKR 194

5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.58 PKR 438

41.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.38 PKR 381

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

-15.71%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

8.78%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$101 PKR 27.9K

12.54%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$6.03 PKR 1,669

1.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$16.84 PKR 4,660

-22.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$14.67 PKR 4,061

48.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$8.25 PKR 2,282

121.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.24 PKR 1,172

0.47%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$76.0 PKR 21.0K

-31.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$1,060 PKR 293.3K

83.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$26.54 PKR 7,346

-33.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$35.24 PKR 9,753

-35.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$97.5 PKR 27.0K

-30.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$41.37 PKR 11.4K

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$128 PKR 35.5K

-8.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$77.1 PKR 21.3K

-5.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$258 PKR 71.3K

39.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$147 PKR 40.8K

27.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$922 PKR 255.1K

17.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$486 PKR 134.5K

-2.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

13.08

0.99%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karak: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Karak

$124 28.5% 6.8% $9

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Karak

$74 17% 27.6% $28

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Karak

$77 17.8% 5.3% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Karak

$90 20.8% 33.8% $23

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Karak

$31 7.1% 50.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Karak

$23 5.3% 23.7% $7.2

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Karak

$15 3.5% 0.9% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $128 in Karak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Karachi vs $7.00 in Karak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $74.0 per month, with Karak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Karak

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

51,149

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Karak 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Karak

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 Karak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Karak differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $434 including rent). Karak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $725 in Karachi and $651 in Karak to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $128 in Karak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $483 per month in Karachi versus $434 in Karak – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karak runs roughly 1% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Karak gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Karak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.