Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
Learn more

Koh Samui Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Koh Samui

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $1,183 in Koh Samui.

Karachi $490
Koh Samui $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,939 in Koh Samui.

Karachi $755
Koh Samui $1,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $2,694 in Koh Samui.

Karachi $1,019
Koh Samui $2,694

Living in Karachi costs roughly 59% less than in Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Koh Samui 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$4.36 ฿146

-50.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$32.80 ฿1,098

-59.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$8.50 ฿285

-37.76%

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

$2.73 ฿91.3

-22.71%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.94 ฿31.60

-60.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.50 ฿16.59

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.74 ฿58.2

-50.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.46 ฿48.79

-64.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.56 ฿52.2

-20.51%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.10 ฿70.3

-40.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$19.60 ฿656

-70.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$3.27 ฿110

-4.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$10.94 ฿366

-42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$2.96 ฿99.0

-56.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.69 ฿56.5

-68.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$2.22 ฿74.2

-55.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$2.10 ฿70.3

-73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.46 ฿48.79

-77.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.33 ฿44.53

-73.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$1.11 ฿37.27

-59.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.51 ฿16.97

-13.73%

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

$4.23 ฿142

-57.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$2.46 ฿82.5

-88.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$45.15 ฿1,512

-78.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$3.08 ฿103

-70.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.06 ฿35.62

-33.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$3.89 ฿130

-42.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.50 ฿50.3

-10.00%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$28.2K ฿944.4K

-36.75%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$27.7K ฿925.9K

-3.31%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$102 ฿3,405

9.93%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$11.78 ฿394

-48.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$17.76 ฿595

-25.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$54.1 ฿1,812

-60.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$11.53 ฿386

54.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$7.73 ฿259

-42.82%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$615 ฿20.6K

-91.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$12.4K ฿415.9K

-84.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$61.9 ฿2,073

-71.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$28.96 ฿969

-21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$94.6 ฿3,167

-28.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$88.2 ฿2,951

-53.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$619 ฿20.7K

-81.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$389 ฿13.0K

-80.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$1,761 ฿59.0K

-79.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$1,025 ฿34.3K

-82.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$2,971 ฿99.5K

-64.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$2,176 ฿72.8K

-77.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$397 ฿13.3K

-53.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

5.57

137.16%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Koh Samui

$131 11.3% 0.1% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Koh Samui

$267 23% 165% $167

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Koh Samui

$389 33.5% 414% $313

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Koh Samui

$123 10.6% 83.8% $56

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Koh Samui

$119 10.2% 95.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Koh Samui

$70 6% 129% $39

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Koh Samui

$63 5.5% 316% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $619 in Koh Samui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Samui pays 115% 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 $33.00 in Koh Samui for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $267 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

62,110

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Koh Samui 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Koh Samui differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $1,183 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 115% lower in Koh Samui. 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 $619 in Koh Samui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $1,183 in Koh Samui – a 142% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 366% less than in Koh Samui. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,183 in Koh Samui, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Koh Samui. 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 Koh Samui 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 142% less than in Koh Samui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.