Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Lahore

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $520 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lahore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
Learn more

Lahore Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Lahore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $495 in Karachi versus $520 in Lahore.

Karachi $495
Lahore $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Karachi versus $787 in Lahore.

Karachi $770
Lahore $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in Karachi versus $1,053 in Lahore.

Karachi $1,046
Lahore $1,053

Living in Karachi costs roughly 5% less than in Lahore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Lahore 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$2.59 PKR 716

-14.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$14.71 PKR 4,071

-12.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$5.80 PKR 1,604

-9.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

$3.60 PKR 995

-40.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

$5.29 PKR 1,462

39.13%

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$2.50 PKR 693

-13.60%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.40 PKR 111

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.26 PKR 72.2

-3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$0.98 PKR 271

-8.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.74 PKR 206

-29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.18 PKR 327

1.69%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.20 PKR 333

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$6.14 PKR 1,699

-5.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$2.54 PKR 703

22.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$4.74 PKR 1,311

37.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.19 PKR 330

7.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.65 PKR 180

-16.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$0.83 PKR 230

22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.64 PKR 176

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.29 PKR 78.9

17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$0.36 PKR 98.9

-13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.48 PKR 133

-14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.35 PKR 96.8

22.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

$1.05 PKR 291

21.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

$0.65 PKR 179

104.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

$1.65 PKR 458

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$2.15 PKR 594

-17.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.18 PKR 50.6

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

$6.42 PKR 1,777

82.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.93 PKR 256

-1.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.70 PKR 194

4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$1.77 PKR 491

25.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.39 PKR 384

-4.32%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

1.74%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

8.43%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$126 PKR 35.0K

-11.28%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$5.47 PKR 1,513

9.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$16.39 PKR 4,535

-19.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,826

$20.48 PKR 5,666

20.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$11.32 PKR 3,132

61.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$4.35 PKR 1,203

-0.23%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

-9.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

$2,052 PKR 567.7K

-6.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$18.12 PKR 5,015

-2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,097

$28.03 PKR 7,757

-21.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

-8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$33.44 PKR 9,252

21.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$167 PKR 46.3K

-18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$95.1 PKR 26.3K

-13.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$359 PKR 99.2K

9.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$206 PKR 57.1K

0.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$827 PKR 229.0K

26.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$568 PKR 157.2K

-15.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

$198 PKR 54.9K

-6.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

14.05

-5.98%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lahore: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Lahore

$148 28.5% 12.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Lahore

$96 18.5% 5.3% $5.4

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Lahore

$95 18.3% 15.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Lahore

$69 13.3% 3.6% $2.4

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Lahore

$71 13.6% 14.3% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Lahore

$29 5.6% 12.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Lahore

$12 2.2% 33.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $167 in Lahore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lahore pays 8% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $15 in Lahore. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $96, with Lahore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Lahore

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

11,126,285

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Lahore 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Lahore

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 Lahore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $495 in Karachi and $520 in Lahore, so Karachi is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Karachi. 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: $136 in Karachi versus $167 in Lahore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $495 per month in Karachi versus $520 in Lahore – Karachi is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lahore runs roughly 45% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi 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.

It comes down to priorities – Karachi wins on affordability, Lahore on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.