Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Northam

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Northam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $2,498 in Northam.

Karachi $483
Northam $2,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $3,618 in Northam.

Karachi $754
Northam $3,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $4,737 in Northam.

Karachi $1,025
Northam $4,737

Living in Karachi costs roughly 81% less than in Northam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karachi is 64% below, Northam is 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 584

$19.97 A$28.40

-89.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,797

$85.1 A$121

-83.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,530

$10.55 A$15.01

-47.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,038

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 592

$4.48 A$6.37

-52.23%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$2.84 A$4.04

-85.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.6

$2.29 A$3.26

-87.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 A$11.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 A$11.52

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 249

$1.74 A$2.48

-48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$2.58 A$3.67

-78.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.98 A$2.82

-39.39%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 345

$4.48 A$6.37

-72.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,649

$6.37 A$9.06

-6.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 882

$9.12 A$12.98

-65.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,791

$14.08 A$20.02

-53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.73 A$3.88

-54.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$3.25 A$4.62

-83.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$3.44 A$4.90

-70.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$4.92 A$6.99

-89.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.0

$2.89 A$4.12

-89.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$1.97 A$2.81

-84.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$2.25 A$3.20

-81.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.73 A$1.04

-39.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 361

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 507

$41.37 A$58.8

-95.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.49 A$4.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 A$6.25

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 A$5.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.7

$2.92 A$4.16

-90.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,713

$80.6 A$115

-87.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 239

$3.53 A$5.02

-75.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$1.46 A$2.07

-49.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 616

$41.14 A$58.5

-94.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.35 A$1.91

2.22%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$26.9K A$38.2K

-31.65%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$29.5K A$41.9K

-10.24%

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

$113 PKR 31.3K

$196 A$279

-42.16%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,692

$24.09 A$34.27

-74.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,625

$64.3 A$91.5

-79.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,024

$56.5 A$80.3

-61.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,053

$17.81 A$25.33

2.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,178

$17.30 A$24.61

-75.38%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$2,328 A$3,310

-97.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 536.7K

$23.2K A$33.0K

-91.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,848

$77.3 A$110

-77.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,326

$66.3 A$94.3

-65.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$123 A$174

-44.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$161 A$229

-74.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$1,391 A$1,978

-91.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.2K

$1,190 A$1,693

-93.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.5K

$2,173 A$3,091

-83.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$1,783 A$2,536

-89.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.1K

$5,780 A$8,221

-81.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.0K

$4,889 A$6,954

-90.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

5.91

123.52%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Northam

$284 11.4% 115% $152

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Northam

$314 12.6% 208% $212

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Northam

$1.2K 47.6% 1527% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Northam

$192 7.7% 185% $125

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Northam

$323 12.9% 422% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Northam

$91 3.7% 201% $61

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Northam

$103 4.1% 566% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $1,391 in Northam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Karachi vs $85 in Northam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $314 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇦🇺 Northam

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

6,000

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Northam 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Northam

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 Northam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Northam differ by about 417% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $2,498 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $725 in Karachi and $3,747 in Northam 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 $1,391 in Northam. 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 $2,498 in Northam – a 417% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 88% less than in Northam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $483 in Karachi versus $2,498 in Northam, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Northam. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Northam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.