Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Mardan

For one person, living costs are similar in Karachi and in Mardan: $495 and $502 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Mardan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $495 in Karachi versus $502 in Mardan.

Karachi $495
Mardan $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Karachi versus $788 in Mardan.

Karachi $770
Mardan $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in Karachi versus $1,074 in Mardan.

Karachi $1,046
Mardan $1,074

Monthly costs are close between Karachi and Mardan; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Mardan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$3.53 PKR 978

-37.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$23.47 PKR 6,495

-45.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$5.44 PKR 1,504

-3.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

$3.66 PKR 1,013

-40.98%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

$6.77 PKR 1,872

8.71%

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$2.55 PKR 705

-15.29%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.34 PKR 94.7

11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.23 PKR 63.9

8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$0.90 PKR 250

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.78 PKR 216

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.29 PKR 358

-6.98%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.22 PKR 337

2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$2.93 PKR 811

98.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$3.17 PKR 878

-1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$3.72 PKR 1,029

75.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$0.87 PKR 240

47.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.73 PKR 203

-26.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$1.03 PKR 286

-0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.35 PKR 96.5

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.27 PKR 74.2

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$0.38 PKR 106

-18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.28 PKR 77.2

46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.35 PKR 96.0

22.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

$1.79 PKR 496

-28.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

$1.20 PKR 333

10.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

$2.32 PKR 642

5.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$1.84 PKR 508

-3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$0.20 PKR 54.5

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

$10.72 PKR 2,966

9.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.27 PKR 352

-27.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.69 PKR 190

5.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$1.60 PKR 442

38.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.05 PKR 292

26.67%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

-16.14%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

11.92%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$104 PKR 28.7K

8.27%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$6.02 PKR 1,666

-0.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$16.99 PKR 4,701

-22.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,825

$12.89 PKR 3,566

91.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$8.04 PKR 2,223

127.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$4.89 PKR 1,353

-11.25%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

59.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.8K

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

80.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$25.98 PKR 7,188

-32.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,096

$34.63 PKR 9,583

-36.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

-29.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

1.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$134 PKR 37.1K

1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

-4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$264 PKR 73.1K

48.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$182 PKR 50.3K

13.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$865 PKR 239.3K

20.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$578 PKR 159.9K

-16.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

13.08

0.99%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Mardan

$127 25.2% 3.6% $4.7

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Mardan

$84 16.8% 17.1% $17

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Mardan

$86 17.1% 4.6% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Mardan

$89 17.7% 32.6% $22

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Mardan

$77 15.4% 25% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Mardan

$23 4.5% 32% $11

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 6.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $134 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $23 in Mardan. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $84, with Mardan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

358,604

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Mardan 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $742 in Karachi and $753 in Mardan 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: $136 in Karachi versus $134 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mardan runs roughly 8% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Mardan pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.