Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Pakpattan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakpattan: $448 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. The total is higher in Karachi despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Pakpattan
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Pakpattan Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Pakpattan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Pakpattan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $448 in Pakpattan.

Karachi $482
Pakpattan $448

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $637 in Pakpattan.

Karachi $750
Pakpattan $637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $827 in Pakpattan.

Karachi $1,018
Pakpattan $827

Living in Karachi is roughly 8% more expensive than in Pakpattan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Pakpattan 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.29 PKR 357

65.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$10.80 PKR 2,988

23.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.37 PKR 1,486

1.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

$2.69 PKR 744

-18.59%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

$5.19 PKR 1,436

39.50%

Cappuccino

$2.09 PKR 579

$1.87 PKR 518

11.76%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.17 PKR 47.31

135.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.10 PKR 28.15

160.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.62 PKR 172

48.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.51 PKR 142

9.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.94 PKR 261

32.98%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.08 PKR 298

13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$6.83 PKR 1,890

-16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.49 PKR 689

26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$3.71 PKR 1,028

69.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$0.89 PKR 246

41.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.47 PKR 130

12.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$0.28 PKR 76.6

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.58 PKR 159

-3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.37 PKR 102

-10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.46 PKR 128

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.50 PKR 139

-16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.35 PKR 96.3

25.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.81 PKR 502

-30.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

$0.93 PKR 257

41.94%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.35 PKR 649

2.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.20 PKR 610

-16.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.17 PKR 47.99

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$11.17 PKR 3,092

-10.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.40 PKR 388

-34.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.37 PKR 103

89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$0.89 PKR 246

142.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.02 PKR 283

35.29%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$24.9K PKR 6.9M

-28.07%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

2.45%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$147 PKR 40.8K

-22.98%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$5.02 PKR 1,388

18.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$18.95 PKR 5,246

-30.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$14.93 PKR 4,132

44.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$7.71 PKR 2,134

136.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.34 PKR 1,202

-3.00%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$12.74 PKR 3,525

309.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$1,027 PKR 284.3K

88.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$10.66 PKR 2,950

64.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$12.80 PKR 3,544

83.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$25.60 PKR 7,086

169.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$14.50 PKR 4,014

179.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$116 PKR 32.2K

1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$76.4 PKR 21.2K

-3.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$256 PKR 70.9K

39.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$151 PKR 41.9K

24.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,069 PKR 295.8K

-0.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$530 PKR 146.8K

-9.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$107 PKR 29.7K

70.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

1.62%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pakpattan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Pakpattan

$171 38.2% 29.2% $39

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Pakpattan

$83 18.5% 18.1% $18

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Pakpattan

$76 17.1% 3.8% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Pakpattan

$29 6.4% 57.8% $39

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Pakpattan

$50 11.2% 18.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Pakpattan

$24 5.3% 21.2% $6.3

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Pakpattan

$15 3.4% 2.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $116 in Pakpattan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 70% 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 $11.00 in Pakpattan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $83.0 per month, with Pakpattan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakpattan

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

176,693

💱 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 Pakpattan 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Pakpattan

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 Pakpattan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Pakpattan differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $448 including rent). Pakpattan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% 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 $116 in Pakpattan. 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 $448 in Pakpattan – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pakpattan runs roughly 12% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Pakpattan 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 Pakpattan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.