Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Pathum Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $785 in Pathum Thani, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Pathum Thani
Learn more

Pathum Thani Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Pathum Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Pathum Thani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $785 in Pathum Thani.

Karachi $482
Pathum Thani $785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,329 in Pathum Thani.

Karachi $750
Pathum Thani $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,873 in Pathum Thani.

Karachi $1,018
Pathum Thani $1,873

Living in Karachi costs roughly 39% less than in Pathum Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Pathum Thani 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.79 ฿59.9

18.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$22.25 ฿744

-40.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.90 ฿197

-7.63%

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

$1.73 ฿58.0

20.81%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.42 ฿14.03

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.18 ฿6.05

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ฿57.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ฿71.3

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.47 ฿49.07

-37.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.32 ฿44.22

-57.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.23 ฿41.03

1.63%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.80 ฿60.2

-31.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$12.52 ฿418

-54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.43 ฿81.1

30.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$12.06 ฿403

-47.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.60 ฿120

-65.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.96 ฿31.93

-44.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.49 ฿83.3

-59.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.58 ฿52.8

-64.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.97 ฿66.0

-83.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.04 ฿34.74

-67.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.77 ฿25.70

-45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.44 ฿14.85

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

$4.53 ฿151

-59.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 ฿464

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 ฿50.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ฿55.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.60 ฿20.07

-53.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.06 ฿35.28

-13.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.53 ฿51.1

-54.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$8.76 ฿293

-75.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.16 ฿38.69

18.97%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$17.5K ฿585.7K

2.14%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$23.9K ฿797.8K

13.45%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$82.3 ฿2,751

37.82%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$9.23 ฿309

-35.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$10.22 ฿341

28.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$29.61 ฿990

-27.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$6.63 ฿222

-36.50%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$196 ฿6,543

-73.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.7K ฿357.5K

-81.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$5.91 ฿198

196.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$35.81 ฿1,197

-34.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$71.5 ฿2,388

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$52.8 ฿1,765

-23.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$453 ฿15.1K

-73.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$263 ฿8,805

-72.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$1,476 ฿49.3K

-75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$738 ฿24.6K

-74.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$4,477 ฿149.6K

-76.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$2,199 ฿73.5K

-78.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$396 ฿13.2K

-53.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

230.25%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Pathum Thani

$102 13% 23.2% $31

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Pathum Thani

$223 28.4% 120% $121

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Pathum Thani

$263 33.6% 258% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Pathum Thani

$75 9.5% 10.3% $7

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Pathum Thani

$68 8.7% 11.5% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Pathum Thani

$43 5.5% 43% $13

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Pathum Thani

$11 * 1.4% 28.5% $4.4

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 $453 in Pathum Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pathum Thani pays 116% 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 $22.00 in Pathum Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $223 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇹🇭 Pathum Thani

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

18,320

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Pathum Thani 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Pathum Thani

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 Pathum Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Pathum Thani differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $785 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 116% lower in Pathum Thani. 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 $453 in Pathum Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Pathum Thani. 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 $785 in Pathum Thani – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Pathum Thani are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Pathum Thani. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.