Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Nalaikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $908 in Nalaikh, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Nalaikh
🇲🇳 Mongolia
$908
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Nalaikh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $908 in Nalaikh.

  • Karachi $482
  • Nalaikh $908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,425 in Nalaikh.

  • Karachi $750
  • Nalaikh $1,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,941 in Nalaikh.

  • Karachi $1,018
  • Nalaikh $1,941

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Nalaikh 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 PKR 588
$4.48 MNT 16.1K
-52.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.30 PKR 3,680
$26.21 MNT 94.3K
-49.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 PKR 1,508
$4.40 MNT 15.8K
23.86%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 PKR 607
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.24 PKR 2,005
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.09 PKR 579
$2.18 MNT 7,856
-4.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 PKR 111
$0.72 MNT 2,602
-44.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 PKR 71.1
$0.40 MNT 1,449
-35.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.42 MNT 5,089
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.17 MNT 7,792
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 PKR 254
$1.21 MNT 4,363
-23.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 PKR 156
$0.80 MNT 2,885
-30.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 PKR 345
$1.59 MNT 5,728
-21.38%
Eggs
$1.23 PKR 341
$2.05 MNT 7,373
-40.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.67 PKR 1,570
$12.43 MNT 44.7K
-54.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.16 PKR 876
$4.22 MNT 15.2K
-25.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.28 PKR 1,737
$5.64 MNT 20.3K
11.35%
Apples (1kg)
$1.26 PKR 348
$3.11 MNT 11.2K
-59.49%
Banana (1kg)
$0.53 PKR 148
$2.48 MNT 8,905
-78.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.00 PKR 276
$3.65 MNT 13.1K
-72.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 PKR 154
$2.84 MNT 10.2K
-80.28%
Potato (1kg)
$0.33 PKR 91.4
$0.58 MNT 2,091
-43.10%
Onion (1kg)
$0.34 PKR 95.1
$0.93 MNT 3,341
-63.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 PKR 116
$1.22 MNT 4,381
-65.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 PKR 121
$0.60 MNT 2,148
-26.67%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.25 PKR 346
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 PKR 365
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 PKR 670
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.84 PKR 509
$1.66 MNT 5,957
10.84%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$8.29 MNT 29.8K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.96 MNT 3,444
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.59 MNT 5,720
-
🚌 Getting Around
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 PKR 77.0
$0.15 MNT 528
86.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.99 PKR 2,764
$6.04 MNT 21.7K
65.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.92 PKR 256
$0.55 MNT 1,976
67.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 PKR 193
$0.51 MNT 1,847
37.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.16 PKR 597
$2.48 MNT 8,914
-12.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 PKR 382
$1.01 MNT 3,625
36.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
$26.5K MNT 95.4M
-32.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
$16.4K MNT 59.0M
64.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 PKR 31.4K
$70.2 MNT 252.5K
61.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.95 PKR 1,648
$6.92 MNT 24.9K
-14.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.16 PKR 3,642
$10.94 MNT 39.4K
20.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.55 PKR 5,965
$55.0 MNT 197.7K
-60.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.23 PKR 5,044
$13.99 MNT 50.3K
30.31%
Cinema Ticket
$4.21 PKR 1,165
$2.72 MNT 9,791
54.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$52.2 PKR 14.4K
$123 MNT 441.5K
-57.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,940 PKR 537.0K
$5,604 MNT 20.2M
-65.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.55 PKR 4,858
$61.7 MNT 222.0K
-71.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.51 PKR 6,506
$45.76 MNT 164.6K
-48.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.9 PKR 19.1K
$84.8 MNT 304.8K
-18.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.59 PKR 11.2K
$125 MNT 448.9K
-67.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$118 PKR 32.7K
$418 MNT 1.5M
-71.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$73.6 PKR 20.4K
$307 MNT 1.1M
-76.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$357 PKR 98.9K
$1,256 MNT 4.5M
-71.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 PKR 52.0K
$575 MNT 2.1M
-67.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,060 PKR 293.4K
$1,362 MNT 4.9M
-22.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$481 PKR 133.1K
$848 MNT 3.0M
-43.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karachi
Nalaikh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$183 PKR 50.6K
$523 MNT 1.9M
-65.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.21
5
164.20%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nalaikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karachi
$133
Nalaikh
$88 33.6% $44
Groceries & Markets
Karachi
$101
Nalaikh
$209 107% $108
Accommodation & Living
Karachi
$74
Nalaikh
$307 317% $233
Clothing & Footwear
Karachi
$68
Nalaikh
$143 111% $75
Eating Out
Karachi
$61
Nalaikh
$91 49.2% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Karachi
$30
Nalaikh
$60 102% $30
Getting Around
Karachi
$16
Nalaikh
$9.7 37.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $418 in Nalaikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nalaikh pays 186% 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 $26.00 in Nalaikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $209 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Karachi
🇲🇳 Nalaikh
🕒 Local time
01:32 1:32 AM
04:32 4:32 AM
3 h ahead of Karachi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,910,352
30,049
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karachi Nalaikh 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karachi
  • Nalaikh

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 Nalaikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Karachi and in Nalaikh?
Karachi and Nalaikh differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $908 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 186% lower in Nalaikh. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Karachi and in Nalaikh?
Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $418 in Nalaikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Karachi or Nalaikh?
All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $908 in Nalaikh – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Karachi and in Nalaikh?
A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 65% less than in Nalaikh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How far does $1,200 go in Karachi compared to Nalaikh?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Karachi and Nalaikh?
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.
Where should expats move: Karachi or Nalaikh?
Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Nalaikh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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