Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Mirpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Mirpur: $371 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Mirpur
Learn more

Mirpur Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Mirpur

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Mirpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $371 in Mirpur.

Karachi $483
Mirpur $371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $556 in Mirpur.

Karachi $754
Mirpur $556

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $740 in Mirpur.

Karachi $1,025
Mirpur $740

Living in Karachi is roughly 30% more expensive than in Mirpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Mirpur 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$1.78 PKR 492

18.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$7.35 PKR 2,035

86.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$5.28 PKR 1,461

4.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$1.07 PKR 296

105.61%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$1.78 PKR 492

314.04%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$1.06 PKR 292

101.89%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.43 PKR 119

-6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.18 PKR 51.1

55.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.83 PKR 229

8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.59 PKR 163

-6.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.25 PKR 347

-4.00%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.20 PKR 333

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$3.52 PKR 975

69.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.57 PKR 712

24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$4.18 PKR 1,157

55.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.10 PKR 305

12.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.61 PKR 170

-13.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$0.56 PKR 155

83.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.55 PKR 153

-7.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.28 PKR 77.1

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.28 PKR 77.0

10.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.30 PKR 83.7

36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.35 PKR 96.4

25.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$1.87 PKR 518

-29.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.07 PKR 295

24.30%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.45 PKR 678

-1.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$1.42 PKR 394

28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.20 PKR 56.2

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$10.01 PKR 2,771

-2.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.05 PKR 292

-17.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.21 PKR 57.9

252.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$2.92 PKR 807

-23.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$0.96 PKR 265

43.75%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$9,106 PKR 2.5M

101.54%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$14.7K PKR 4.1M

80.10%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

67.70%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$5.46 PKR 1,510

12.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$14.70 PKR 4,068

-10.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$15.00 PKR 4,151

45.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$8.00 PKR 2,215

128.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$3.56 PKR 986

19.66%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$26.41 PKR 7,310

97.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$2,035 PKR 563.3K

-4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$18.08 PKR 5,004

-3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$18.20 PKR 5,037

25.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$36.41 PKR 10.1K

87.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$29.41 PKR 8,141

41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$127 PKR 35.1K

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$76.0 PKR 21.0K

-3.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$257 PKR 71.1K

40.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$147 PKR 40.6K

28.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$927 PKR 256.7K

16.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$475 PKR 131.5K

-0.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

$146 PKR 40.3K

25.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

11.83

11.67%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mirpur: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Mirpur

$88 23.7% 33.8% $45

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Mirpur

$81 21.8% 20.8% $21

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Mirpur

$76 20.5% 3.8% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Mirpur

$46 12.4% 31.9% $22

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Mirpur

$45 12.2% 27% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Mirpur

$22 6% 27% $8.2

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Mirpur

$13 3.5% 16.5% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $127 in Mirpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 25% 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 $7.00 in Mirpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $81.0 per month, with Mirpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Mirpur

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

124,350

💱 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 Mirpur 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Mirpur

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 Mirpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Mirpur differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $371 including rent). Mirpur is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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 $127 in Mirpur. 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 $371 in Mirpur – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mirpur runs roughly 2% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mirpur 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 Mirpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.