Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $931 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Manila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $931 in Manila.

Karachi $490
Manila $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,519 in Manila.

Karachi $755
Manila $1,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $2,106 in Manila.

Karachi $1,019
Manila $2,106

Living in Karachi costs roughly 47% less than in Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$5.61 ₱352

-61.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$27.39 ₱1,718

-51.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$3.95 ₱248

33.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$2.56 ₱161

-17.58%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$1.42 ₱89.1

-73.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.81 ₱50.9

-65.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱148

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.94 ₱122

-55.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.40 ₱88.0

-62.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.02 ₱64.2

21.57%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.29 ₱144

-45.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$7.86 ₱493

-25.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$4.89 ₱307

-36.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$6.77 ₱425

-7.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$3.38 ₱212

-61.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.85 ₱116

-70.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$2.96 ₱186

-66.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.79 ₱112

-68.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$2.24 ₱140

-85.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$2.69 ₱168

-86.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$2.20 ₱138

-79.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.59 ₱37.25

-25.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$3.13 ₱196

-42.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 ₱591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱125

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.47 ₱29.46

-40.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$12.58 ₱789

-23.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$0.78 ₱48.77

17.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.23 ₱14.43

208.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$1.94 ₱122

14.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.33 ₱83.5

1.50%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

-16.39%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$19.7K ₱1.2M

35.83%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$121 ₱7,614

-7.91%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$16.04 ₱1,006

-62.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$24.25 ₱1,521

-45.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$43.44 ₱2,724

-50.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$5.90 ₱370

201.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$6.63 ₱416

-33.33%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$613 ₱38.4K

-91.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$8,953 ₱561.6K

-78.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$58.2 ₱3,647

-69.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$27.18 ₱1,704

-16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$77.5 ₱4,862

-12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$57.0 ₱3,574

-28.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$534 ₱33.5K

-78.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$287 ₱18.0K

-73.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$1,916 ₱120.2K

-80.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$677 ₱42.5K

-73.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$4,439 ₱278.4K

-76.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$2,556 ₱160.3K

-80.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$485 ₱30.4K

-61.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

7.43

77.79%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Manila

$162 17% 23.3% $31

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Manila

$221 23.3% 120% $121

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Manila

$287 30.2% 279% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Manila

$99 10.4% 47.6% $32

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Manila

$107 11.3% 75.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Manila

$57 6% 86.8% $26

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Manila

$16 1.7% 7.5% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $534 in Manila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays 163% 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 $27.00 in Manila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $221 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Manila 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Manila

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 Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Manila differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $931 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 163% lower in Manila. 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: $117 in Karachi versus $534 in Manila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $931 in Manila – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 30% less than in Manila. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $931 in Manila, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Manila. 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 Manila 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 90% less than in Manila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.