Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Nowshera

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $509 in Nowshera, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. The total is higher in Nowshera despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Nowshera
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Nowshera Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Nowshera

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Nowshera

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $509 in Nowshera.

Karachi $483
Nowshera $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $798 in Nowshera.

Karachi $754
Nowshera $798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $1,087 in Nowshera.

Karachi $1,025
Nowshera $1,087

Living in Karachi costs roughly 5% less than in Nowshera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Nowshera 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$3.53 PKR 976

-40.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$23.17 PKR 6,413

-40.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$5.47 PKR 1,515

1.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$3.56 PKR 986

-38.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$6.88 PKR 1,904

7.12%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$2.60 PKR 720

-17.69%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.33 PKR 90.0

21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.21 PKR 58.1

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.01 PKR 278

-10.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.78 PKR 215

-29.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.25 PKR 346

-4.00%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.20 PKR 333

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$6.07 PKR 1,680

-1.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$3.04 PKR 843

4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$5.42 PKR 1,499

19.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.28 PKR 354

-3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.87 PKR 241

-39.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$1.07 PKR 297

-3.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.56 PKR 154

-8.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.29 PKR 80.5

6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.36 PKR 99.1

-13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.30 PKR 83.0

36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.40 PKR 110

10.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$1.82 PKR 503

-28.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.20 PKR 331

10.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.44 PKR 676

-0.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$2.36 PKR 654

-22.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.16 PKR 44.97

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$9.83 PKR 2,721

-0.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.25 PKR 345

-30.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.70 PKR 194

5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.58 PKR 437

41.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.32 PKR 365

4.55%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$22.0K PKR 6.1M

-16.64%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

10.14%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$101 PKR 27.9K

12.53%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$5.90 PKR 1,632

3.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$17.15 PKR 4,747

-23.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$14.69 PKR 4,066

48.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$7.99 PKR 2,210

128.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.46 PKR 1,234

-4.48%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

-30.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$1,043 PKR 288.6K

86.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$26.20 PKR 7,252

-33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$35.27 PKR 9,761

-35.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$96.2 PKR 26.6K

-29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$40.04 PKR 11.1K

3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$125 PKR 34.5K

-5.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$75.9 PKR 21.0K

-3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$257 PKR 71.1K

40.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$150 PKR 41.6K

25.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$948 PKR 262.4K

14.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$486 PKR 134.6K

-2.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

13.08

0.99%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nowshera: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Nowshera

$124 24.3% 6.6% $8.8

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Nowshera

$104 20.4% 1.4% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Nowshera

$76 14.9% 3.7% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Nowshera

$89 17.5% 31.8% $21

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Nowshera

$78 15.3% 25.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Nowshera

$24 4.6% 22.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Nowshera

$15 3% 1.6% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $125 in Nowshera. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Karachi vs $23.00 in Nowshera for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $104 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Nowshera

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

120,131

💱 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 Nowshera 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Nowshera

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 Nowshera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Nowshera differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $509 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 $764 in Nowshera 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 $125 in Nowshera. 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 $509 in Nowshera – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 0% less than in Nowshera. 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 Karachi 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 Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Nowshera. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.