Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Novokuznetsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
Learn more

Novokuznetsk Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Novokuznetsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk.

Karachi $482
Novokuznetsk $1,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $2,238 in Novokuznetsk.

Karachi $750
Novokuznetsk $2,238

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $3,093 in Novokuznetsk.

Karachi $1,018
Novokuznetsk $3,093

Living in Karachi costs roughly 65% less than in Novokuznetsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karachi is 64% below, Novokuznetsk is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$11.84 ₽988

-82.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$58.7 ₽4,901

-77.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$6.69 ₽559

-18.54%

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

$2.51 ₽209

-16.73%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$2.04 ₽170

-80.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$1.14 ₽95.4

-77.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ₽342

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 ₽486

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.41 ₽117

-34.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.81 ₽67.4

-30.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.37 ₽114

-8.76%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.57 ₽131

-21.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$8.57 ₽715

-33.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$6.90 ₽576

-54.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.35 ₽780

-32.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.00 ₽167

-37.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$2.26 ₽189

-76.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.32 ₽193

-56.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$4.00 ₽334

-86.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.87 ₽72.9

-62.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.59 ₽49.07

-42.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.45 ₽121

-71.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.67 ₽56.3

-34.33%

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

$3.65 ₽305

-49.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ₽493

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₽150

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₽222

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.57 ₽47.78

-50.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$29.95 ₽2,500

-66.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.74 ₽145

-47.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.58 ₽48.43

20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.82 ₽68.1

68.29%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$32.5K ₽2.7M

-45.00%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$33.8K ₽2.8M

-19.99%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$221 ₽18.4K

-48.68%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$4.98 ₽415

19.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$6.36 ₽531

106.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$50.6 ₽4,225

-57.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$27.86 ₽2,325

-34.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$7.32 ₽611

-42.49%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$673 ₽56.2K

-92.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$17.4K ₽1.5M

-88.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$140 ₽11.7K

-87.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$84.2 ₽7,029

-72.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$181 ₽15.1K

-61.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$364 ₽30.4K

-88.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$452 ₽37.7K

-73.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$293 ₽24.4K

-74.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$955 ₽79.7K

-62.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$670 ₽56.0K

-71.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,205 ₽184.1K

-51.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,479 ₽123.4K

-67.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$561 ₽46.9K

-67.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

22.75

-41.93%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Novokuznetsk

$232 16.8% 75.3% $100

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Novokuznetsk

$219 15.8% 116% $118

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Novokuznetsk

$293 21.2% 298% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Novokuznetsk

$346 25.1% 412% $279

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Novokuznetsk

$190 13.7% 211% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Novokuznetsk

$65 4.7% 118% $35

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Novokuznetsk

$37 2.7% 138% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $452 in Novokuznetsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novokuznetsk pays 207% 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 $59.0 in Novokuznetsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $219 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

544,583

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Novokuznetsk 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Novokuznetsk

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 Novokuznetsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Novokuznetsk differ by about 187% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $1,382 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 207% lower in Novokuznetsk. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $452 in Novokuznetsk. 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 $1,382 in Novokuznetsk – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 200% less than in Novokuznetsk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Novokuznetsk. 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 187% less than in Novokuznetsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.