Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $841 in Mandaluyong, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $841 in Mandaluyong.

Karachi $482
Mandaluyong $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,389 in Mandaluyong.

Karachi $750
Mandaluyong $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,936 in Mandaluyong.

Karachi $1,018
Mandaluyong $1,936

Living in Karachi costs roughly 43% less than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Mandaluyong 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$4.72 ₱297

-54.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$16.62 ₱1,046

-19.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$3.53 ₱223

54.39%

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

$2.18 ₱137

-4.13%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.99 ₱62.1

-59.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.49 ₱30.84

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱152

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.68 ₱105

-45.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.30 ₱81.6

-56.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.03 ₱64.8

21.36%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.21 ₱139

-44.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$5.18 ₱326

9.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.84 ₱305

-34.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$6.82 ₱429

-7.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.38 ₱213

-62.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.89 ₱119

-71.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$3.09 ₱194

-67.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.85 ₱116

-69.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$2.21 ₱139

-85.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.63 ₱166

-87.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.62 ₱39.08

-32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.49 ₱30.84

-10.20%

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

$2.94 ₱185

-37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ₱564

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₱130

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.38 ₱23.73

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.72 ₱45.59

27.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.23 ₱14.47

204.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.95 ₱122

10.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.22 ₱76.5

13.11%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

-14.98%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

40.23%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$138 ₱8,711

-18.00%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$17.70 ₱1,114

-66.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$24.54 ₱1,545

-46.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$31.59 ₱1,989

-31.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$6.11 ₱385

-31.10%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$131 ₱8,261

-60.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$8,790 ₱553.4K

-77.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$29.06 ₱1,830

-39.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$27.11 ₱1,707

-13.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$71.2 ₱4,481

-3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$54.9 ₱3,454

-26.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$622 ₱39.1K

-81.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$241 ₱15.1K

-69.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$1,177 ₱74.1K

-69.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$724 ₱45.6K

-74.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,810 ₱176.9K

-62.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$533 ₱33.6K

-65.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

6.75

95.70%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 36.2% $48

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 97.3% $98

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 227% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 21.1% $14

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 49.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 46.2% $14

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 78.2% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandaluyong pays 192% 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $200 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

08:53 8:53 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

425,758

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Mandaluyong 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Mandaluyong differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $841 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 192% lower in Mandaluyong. 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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Mandaluyong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $841 in Mandaluyong – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $482 in Karachi versus $841 in Mandaluyong, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Mandaluyong. 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 Mandaluyong 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 75% less than in Mandaluyong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.