Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Mambajao

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $508 in Mambajao, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. The total is higher in Mambajao despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Mambajao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $508 in Mambajao.

Karachi $482
Mambajao $508

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $817 in Mambajao.

Karachi $750
Mambajao $817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,126 in Mambajao.

Karachi $1,018
Mambajao $1,126

Living in Karachi costs roughly 5% less than in Mambajao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.36 ₱85.9

56.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$15.83 ₱997

-15.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$3.40 ₱214

60.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.09 PKR 579

$2.28 ₱144

-8.33%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.38 ₱24.02

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.27 ₱16.81

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₱70.6

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.90 ₱56.8

2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.63 ₱39.56

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.66 ₱41.56

89.39%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.26 ₱79.5

-2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$5.90 ₱372

-3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.29 ₱270

-26.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$5.50 ₱346

14.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.54 ₱160

-50.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.63 ₱103

-67.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.24 ₱141

-55.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.13 ₱71.3

-50.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.29 ₱81.3

-74.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.06 ₱130

-83.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.90 ₱56.8

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.55 ₱34.37

-20.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.51 ₱158

-26.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱70.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.20 ₱12.47

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$10.71 ₱675

-6.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.69 ₱43.54

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.21 ₱12.97

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.70 ₱107

27.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.28 ₱80.3

7.81%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.9K ₱1.4M

-18.45%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

24.47%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$64.9 ₱4,083

74.94%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$16.36 ₱1,030

-63.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$20.10 ₱1,266

-34.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$27.72 ₱1,745

-22.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$4.68 ₱295

289.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.95 ₱312

-14.95%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$127 ₱7,995

-58.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$8,993 ₱566.2K

-78.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$30.83 ₱1,941

-43.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$22.01 ₱1,386

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$72.3 ₱4,553

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$63.1 ₱3,975

-35.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$101 ₱6,360

16.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$56.3 ₱3,542

30.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$237 ₱14.9K

50.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$158 ₱9,973

18.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,172 ₱136.7K

-51.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$990 ₱62.3K

-51.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$153 ₱9,616

19.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

6.79

94.55%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mambajao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Mambajao

$101 20% 23.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Mambajao

$156 30.7% 54% $55

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Mambajao

$56 11.1% 23.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Mambajao

$85 16.7% 25.1% $17

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Mambajao

$59 11.5% 4.3% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Mambajao

$38 7.4% 25.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Mambajao

$13 2.6% 14.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $101 in Mambajao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $16.00 in Mambajao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $156 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

41,094

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Mambajao 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Mambajao

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 Mambajao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Mambajao differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $508 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Karachi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $101 in Mambajao. 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 $508 in Mambajao – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 7% less than in Mambajao. 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.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Mambajao 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 5% less than in Mambajao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.