Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Mehar

For one person, living is cheaper in Mehar: $447 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $430 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Mehar
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Mehar Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Mehar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Mehar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $447 in Mehar.

Karachi $483
Mehar $447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $667 in Mehar.

Karachi $754
Mehar $667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $887 in Mehar.

Karachi $1,025
Mehar $887

Living in Karachi is roughly 8% more expensive than in Mehar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Mehar 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$2.12 PKR 586

-0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$10.76 PKR 2,977

27.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$5.37 PKR 1,487

2.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$2.46 PKR 682

-10.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$5.36 PKR 1,482

37.50%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$1.58 PKR 437

35.44%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.35 PKR 97.0

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.17 PKR 48.28

64.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.84 PKR 231

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.62 PKR 172

-11.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.12 PKR 311

7.14%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.20 PKR 332

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$5.71 PKR 1,580

4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.57 PKR 712

24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$5.03 PKR 1,391

28.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.16 PKR 320

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.55 PKR 151

-3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$0.79 PKR 218

30.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.56 PKR 156

-8.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.30 PKR 83.5

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.38 PKR 106

-18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.42 PKR 115

-2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.35 PKR 95.7

25.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$1.81 PKR 502

-27.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.06 PKR 293

25.47%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.37 PKR 657

2.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$2.02 PKR 559

-9.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.20 PKR 54.3

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$9.77 PKR 2,703

0.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.10 PKR 304

-20.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.71 PKR 196

4.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.64 PKR 453

35.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.24 PKR 342

11.29%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$22.1K PKR 6.1M

-16.88%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

8.64%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$101 PKR 28.0K

11.80%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$5.71 PKR 1,581

7.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$14.30 PKR 3,958

-8.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$15.17 PKR 4,199

43.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$7.92 PKR 2,191

130.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.39 PKR 1,215

-2.96%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$42.99 PKR 11.9K

21.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$1,021 PKR 282.7K

90.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$16.60 PKR 4,595

5.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$23.60 PKR 6,531

-3.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$67.9 PKR 18.8K

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$33.37 PKR 9,235

24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$128 PKR 35.5K

-8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$77.4 PKR 21.4K

-5.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$249 PKR 69.0K

44.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$151 PKR 41.8K

24.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$949 PKR 262.6K

14.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$483 PKR 133.8K

-1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

$109 PKR 30.0K

67.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

1.62%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mehar: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Mehar

$121 27.1% 8.4% $11

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Mehar

$91 20.5% 10.5% $11

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Mehar

$77 17.3% 5.8% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Mehar

$64 14.2% 5.7% $3.8

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Mehar

$54 12.1% 12.6% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Mehar

$24 5.4% 21% $6.4

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Mehar

$15 3.4% 1.8% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $128 in Mehar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 68% 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 $11.00 in Mehar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $91.0 per month, with Mehar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Mehar

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Karachi Mehar 270 km

From you

Karachi
Mehar

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 Mehar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Mehar differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $447 including rent). Mehar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $128 in Mehar. 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 $447 in Mehar – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mehar runs roughly 0% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Mehar 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 Mehar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.