Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Mianwali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianwali: $415 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $800 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Mianwali
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Mianwali Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Mianwali

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Mianwali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $415 in Mianwali.

Karachi $482
Mianwali $415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $602 in Mianwali.

Karachi $750
Mianwali $602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $789 in Mianwali.

Karachi $1,018
Mianwali $789

Living in Karachi is roughly 16% more expensive than in Mianwali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Mianwali 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$2.56 PKR 707

-16.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$7.92 PKR 2,193

67.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.76 PKR 1,593

-5.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

$3.69 PKR 1,022

-40.65%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

$5.55 PKR 1,536

30.45%

Cappuccino

$2.09 PKR 579

$1.05 PKR 292

99.05%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.24 PKR 66.1

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.19 PKR 52.1

36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.72 PKR 199

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.50 PKR 137

12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.11 PKR 307

12.61%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.20 PKR 333

2.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$6.45 PKR 1,786

-12.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$1.47 PKR 407

114.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$3.51 PKR 973

78.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.19 PKR 330

5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.70 PKR 194

-24.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$0.75 PKR 207

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.45 PKR 125

24.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.30 PKR 82.1

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.35 PKR 97.9

-2.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.51 PKR 141

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.37 PKR 103

18.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.10 PKR 305

13.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

$0.66 PKR 182

100.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$1.73 PKR 479

39.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$1.11 PKR 307

65.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.19 PKR 51.6

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$9.47 PKR 2,622

5.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.75 PKR 208

22.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.37 PKR 103

89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.86 PKR 515

16.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.23 PKR 340

12.20%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

-2.38%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$25.4K PKR 7.0M

6.67%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$109 PKR 30.1K

4.20%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$3.32 PKR 919

79.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$16.25 PKR 4,497

-19.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$8.04 PKR 2,225

168.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$8.24 PKR 2,281

121.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.24 PKR 1,172

-0.71%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$48.56 PKR 13.4K

7.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$2,017 PKR 558.2K

-3.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$13.37 PKR 3,701

31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$14.16 PKR 3,919

66.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$72.3 PKR 20.0K

-4.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$8.79 PKR 2,433

361.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$128 PKR 35.4K

-7.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

-0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$240 PKR 66.5K

48.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$141 PKR 39.0K

33.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,027 PKR 284.2K

3.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$424 PKR 117.5K

13.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

14.05

-5.98%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mianwali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Mianwali

$128 31% 3.1% $4.1

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Mianwali

$82 19.8% 18.8% $19

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Mianwali

$74 17.8% 0.5% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Mianwali

$49 11.8% 27.8% $19

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Mianwali

$52 12.6% 14.8% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Mianwali

$17 4% 44.9% $13

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Mianwali

$13 3.1% 17.3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $8.00 in Mianwali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $82.0 per month, with Mianwali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Mianwali

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

118,883

💱 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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Between locations

Karachi Mianwali 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Mianwali

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 Mianwali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Mianwali differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $415 including rent). Mianwali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $723 in Karachi and $622 in Mianwali 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: $118 in Karachi versus $128 in Mianwali. 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 $415 in Mianwali – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mianwali runs roughly 5% 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 Mianwali 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 Mianwali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.