Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $495 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Quetta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $495 in Karachi versus $415 in Quetta.

Karachi $495
Quetta $415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Karachi versus $620 in Quetta.

Karachi $770
Quetta $620

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in Karachi versus $826 in Quetta.

Karachi $1,046
Quetta $826

Living in Karachi is roughly 19% more expensive than in Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Quetta 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$3.51 PKR 971

-37.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$10.77 PKR 2,980

19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$4.59 PKR 1,270

14.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

$1.86 PKR 515

16.13%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

$5.17 PKR 1,431

42.36%

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$1.65 PKR 456

30.91%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.41 PKR 114

-7.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.17 PKR 48.34

47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$0.75 PKR 206

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.55 PKR 153

-5.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.28 PKR 353

-6.25%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.18 PKR 327

5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$5.02 PKR 1,388

15.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$2.95 PKR 816

5.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$5.18 PKR 1,434

26.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$0.99 PKR 275

29.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.56 PKR 155

-3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$0.69 PKR 190

47.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.55 PKR 152

1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.32 PKR 88.7

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$0.52 PKR 143

-40.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.42 PKR 117

-2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.40 PKR 110

7.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

$1.83 PKR 507

-30.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

$1.20 PKR 332

10.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

$2.41 PKR 667

1.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$2.04 PKR 563

-12.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$0.14 PKR 37.88

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

$9.01 PKR 2,493

29.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.04 PKR 289

-11.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.47 PKR 129

55.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$1.53 PKR 424

45.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.15 PKR 317

15.65%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

-8.26%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

12.45%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$100 PKR 27.7K

11.96%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$7.95 PKR 2,200

-24.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$16.48 PKR 4,561

-20.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,825

$5.81 PKR 1,608

324.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$7.46 PKR 2,063

145.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$3.23 PKR 894

34.37%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$35.14 PKR 9,724

91.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.8K

$1,039 PKR 287.4K

84.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$8.05 PKR 2,228

118.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,096

$22.10 PKR 6,114

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$33.98 PKR 9,402

19.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

90.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

62.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$164 PKR 45.4K

138.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$101 PKR 27.8K

105.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$386 PKR 106.9K

170.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$222 PKR 61.5K

116.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

$274 PKR 75.8K

-32.71%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Quetta

$125 30.1% 5.1% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Quetta

$90 21.8% 10.9% $11

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Quetta

$51 12.2% 38.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Quetta

$60 14.4% 10.6% $7.1

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 3.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Quetta

$12 3% 63.2% $21

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Quetta

$13 3.1% 25.7% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $71 in Quetta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quetta pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $11 in Quetta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $90 per month, with Quetta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

1,001,205

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Quetta 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $495 in Karachi and $415 in Quetta, so Quetta is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Karachi. 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: $136 in Karachi versus $71 in Quetta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $495 per month in Karachi versus $415 in Quetta – Quetta is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Quetta runs roughly 23% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Quetta 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 Quetta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.