Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Layyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Layyah: $421 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Layyah
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Layyah Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Layyah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Layyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $421 in Layyah.

Karachi $482
Layyah $421

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $646 in Layyah.

Karachi $750
Layyah $646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $870 in Layyah.

Karachi $1,018
Layyah $870

Living in Karachi is roughly 14% more expensive than in Layyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Layyah 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.80 PKR 497

18.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$10.98 PKR 3,040

21.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.50 PKR 1,523

-0.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

$2.52 PKR 697

-13.10%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

$2.23 PKR 618

224.66%

Cappuccino

$2.09 PKR 579

$1.46 PKR 405

43.15%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.46 PKR 129

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.32 PKR 88.8

-18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.78 PKR 215

17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.65 PKR 180

-13.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.21 PKR 335

1.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$8.58 PKR 2,376

-33.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.49 PKR 689

26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$4.04 PKR 1,119

55.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.06 PKR 292

18.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.65 PKR 180

-18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$0.60 PKR 166

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.62 PKR 173

-9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.28 PKR 76.4

17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.51 PKR 140

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.44 PKR 123

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.43 PKR 120

2.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

$0.56 PKR 154

123.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

$0.52 PKR 144

153.85%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$0.70 PKR 194

245.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$1.46 PKR 404

26.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.17 PKR 46.09

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$9.02 PKR 2,497

10.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.11 PKR 307

-17.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.10 PKR 304

-36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$2.87 PKR 795

-24.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.18 PKR 326

16.95%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-24.11%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

15.09%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$67.5 PKR 18.7K

68.02%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$5.59 PKR 1,547

6.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$14.62 PKR 4,047

-9.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$14.81 PKR 4,100

45.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$8.79 PKR 2,432

107.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$7.26 PKR 2,009

-42.01%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$26.51 PKR 7,337

96.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$2,043 PKR 565.5K

-5.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$18.90 PKR 5,231

-7.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$26.90 PKR 7,446

-12.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$54.3 PKR 15.0K

26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$29.47 PKR 8,156

37.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$121 PKR 33.4K

-2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$80.0 PKR 22.1K

-8.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$253 PKR 69.9K

41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$157 PKR 43.4K

19.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$896 PKR 248.1K

18.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$524 PKR 145.0K

-8.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

11.83

11.67%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Layyah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Layyah

$88 20.8% 33.8% $45

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Layyah

$98 23.3% 3.2% $3.3

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Layyah

$80 19% 8.7% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Layyah

$58 13.8% 13.9% $9.4

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Layyah

$52 12.3% 15.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Layyah

$29 7% 2.1% $0.6

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Layyah

$16 3.9% 5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $121 in Layyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $11.00 in Layyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $98.0 per month, with Layyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Layyah

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

126,361

💱 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 Layyah 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Layyah

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 Layyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Layyah differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $421 including rent). Layyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $723 in Karachi and $632 in Layyah 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 $121 in Layyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $421 in Layyah – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Layyah runs roughly 11% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Layyah 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 Layyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.