Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Pathein

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,021 in Pathein, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Pathein
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Pathein Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Pathein

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $1,021 in Pathein.

Karachi $482
Pathein $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,830 in Pathein.

Karachi $750
Pathein $1,830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $2,639 in Pathein.

Karachi $1,018
Pathein $2,639

Living in Karachi costs roughly 53% less than in Pathein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Pathein 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.48 MMK 3,095

43.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$19.79 MMK 41.4K

-32.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$7.97 MMK 16.7K

-31.62%

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

$1.47 MMK 3,082

42.18%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.52 MMK 1,098

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.51 MMK 1,078

-49.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 MMK 3,108

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MMK 2,048

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.46 MMK 3,047

-61.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$2.98 MMK 6,249

-58.05%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.47 MMK 5,165

-50.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$40.74 MMK 85.3K

-86.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$5.92 MMK 12.4K

-46.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$8.06 MMK 16.9K

-22.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$10.02 MMK 21.0K

-87.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$10.08 MMK 21.1K

-90.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$4.91 MMK 10.3K

-88.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$4.07 MMK 8,530

-91.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.01 MMK 4,217

-83.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.52 MMK 1,098

-19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

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

$2.95 MMK 6,185

-37.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.03 MMK 41.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 MMK 3,094

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MMK 4,152

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.02 MMK 2,145

-31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$2.97 MMK 6,222

-27.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.99 MMK 4,161

-30.65%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$32.5K MMK 68.0M

-44.92%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

-13.76%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$20.30 MMK 42.5K

-70.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$10.18 MMK 21.3K

29.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$151 MMK 316.3K

-85.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$2.05 MMK 4,298

105.37%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$396 MMK 829.8K

-86.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$4,748 MMK 9.9M

-59.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$20.34 MMK 42.6K

-13.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$14.75 MMK 30.9K

59.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$49.03 MMK 102.7K

40.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$60.1 MMK 125.8K

-32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$401 MMK 840.1K

-70.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$301 MMK 631.0K

-75.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$1,089 MMK 2.3M

-67.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$984 MMK 2.1M

-80.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pathein: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Pathein

$30 * 3% 77% $102

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Pathein

$397 * 38.9% 292% $296

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Pathein

$301 29.5% 310% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Pathein

$65 6.4% 4.2% $2.8

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Pathein

$67 6.6% 9.6% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Pathein

$155 15.2% 418% $125

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Pathein

$5.1 * 0.5% 67% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $401 in Pathein. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $20.00 in Pathein for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $397 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇲 Pathein

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

315,600

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,354 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Pathein 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Pathein

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 Pathein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Pathein differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $1,021 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $723 in Karachi and $1,532 in Pathein 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 $401 in Pathein. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 292% higher in Pathein. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $1,021 in Pathein – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,021 in Pathein, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Pathein. 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 112% less than in Pathein. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.