Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $733 in Lhasa, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
Learn more

Lhasa Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $733 in Lhasa.

Karachi $483
Lhasa $733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $1,192 in Lhasa.

Karachi $754
Lhasa $1,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $1,651 in Lhasa.

Karachi $1,025
Lhasa $1,651

Living in Karachi costs roughly 34% less than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Lhasa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$4.53 ¥30.26

-53.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$30.37 ¥203

-54.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$7.52 ¥50.3

-26.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$2.79 ¥18.69

-23.30%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.43 ¥2.90

-6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.30 ¥2.04

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.80

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.78 ¥11.93

-49.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.65 ¥11.00

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.96 ¥6.39

25.00%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.68 ¥11.26

-25.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$7.16 ¥47.89

-16.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.92 ¥19.52

9.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$10.97 ¥73.3

-40.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.88 ¥12.57

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$1.29 ¥8.61

-58.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$1.55 ¥10.37

-33.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$1.27 ¥8.52

-59.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.70 ¥4.70

-55.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.94 ¥6.26

-67.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.58 ¥3.89

-29.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.55 ¥3.70

-20.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$3.77 ¥25.18

-51.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 ¥78.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥5.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.42

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.29 ¥1.92

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$17.84 ¥119

-45.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.45 ¥9.72

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.33 ¥2.20

124.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$7.00 ¥46.79

-68.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.25 ¥8.36

10.40%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

-5.79%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$17.2K ¥114.7K

54.19%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$57.0 ¥381

98.60%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$8.51 ¥56.9

-28.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$11.05 ¥73.9

18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$42.14 ¥282

-48.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$14.97 ¥100

22.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$6.48 ¥43.33

-34.26%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$413 ¥2,762

-87.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

-88.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$44.14 ¥295

-60.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$33.10 ¥221

-30.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$73.9 ¥494

-7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$75.9 ¥507

-45.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$294 ¥1,965

-59.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$183 ¥1,223

-59.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$624 ¥4,174

-42.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$375 ¥2,508

-49.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$3,432 ¥22.9K

-68.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$1,929 ¥12.9K

-75.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

$2,127 ¥14.2K

-91.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.36

293.15%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lhasa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Lhasa

$77 10.5% 42.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Lhasa

$188 25.6% 83.7% $85

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Lhasa

$183 24.9% 150% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Lhasa

$102 13.9% 51.2% $35

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Lhasa

$107 14.6% 72.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 81.8% $25

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Lhasa

$22 3% 42.7% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $294 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays 1068% 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: $14.00 in Karachi vs $30.00 in Lhasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $188 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

867,891

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Lhasa 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Lhasa

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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Lhasa differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $733 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1068% lower in Lhasa. 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: $118 in Karachi versus $294 in Lhasa. 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 $733 in Lhasa – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 82% less than in Lhasa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Lhasa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.