Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Rawalpindi Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Rawalpindi

😐 Solo nomad: Karachi is 1.6% more expensive than Rawalpindi without rent, and 13.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Karachi is 2.2% more expensive than Rawalpindi without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.08 PKR 588
$1.73 PKR 489
20.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.27 PKR 3,465
$13.98 PKR 3,948
-12.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.07 PKR 1,149
$5.29 PKR 1,493
-23.06%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2 PKR 565
$1.57 PKR 444
27.39%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.14 PKR 1,453
$3.37 PKR 951
52.52%
Cappuccino
$1.84 PKR 519
$1.63 PKR 461
12.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PKR 104
$0.32 PKR 89
15.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 PKR 65.2
$0.23 PKR 65.1
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.8 PKR 225
$0.78 PKR 221
2.56%
White Bread (500g)
$0.55 PKR 155
$0.52 PKR 147
5.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 PKR 319
$1.24 PKR 350
-8.87%
Eggs
$1.18 PKR 332
$1.13 PKR 320
4.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.54 PKR 1,846
$5.99 PKR 1,693
9.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.24 PKR 915
$3.28 PKR 926
-1.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.08 PKR 1,435
$4.57 PKR 1,289
11.16%
Apples (1kg)
$1.08 PKR 306
$0.94 PKR 266
14.89%
Banana (1kg)
$0.55 PKR 155
$0.69 PKR 195
-20.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.89 PKR 250
$0.86 PKR 243
3.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.54 PKR 152
$0.47 PKR 134
14.89%
Potato (1kg)
$0.38 PKR 108
$0.34 PKR 95.8
11.76%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 PKR 133
$0.52 PKR 148
-9.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.36 PKR 100
$0.26 PKR 73.6
38.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 PKR 124
$0.39 PKR 111
12.82%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.22 PKR 344
$15.94 PKR 4,502
-92.35%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 PKR 371
$0.99 PKR 280
32.32%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 PKR 599
$2.31 PKR 652
-8.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.18 PKR 616
$1.93 PKR 546
12.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 PKR 103
$0.19 PKR 52.5
94.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.28 PKR 1,772
$9.81 PKR 2,770
-35.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.7 PKR 197
$0.87 PKR 245
-19.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 PKR 187
$0.35 PKR 99.1
88.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.72 PKR 485
$2.95 PKR 833
-41.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 PKR 263
$0.95 PKR 268
-2.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K PKR 4.7M
$17.6K PKR 5M
-5.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25K PKR 7.1M
$22.5K PKR 6.3M
11.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 PKR 38.3K
$103 PKR 29.2K
31.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.88 PKR 1,379
$3.99 PKR 1,126
22.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.36 PKR 3,775
$16.44 PKR 4,643
-18.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.31 PKR 4,325
$9.99 PKR 2,822
53.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.22 PKR 4,016
$7.76 PKR 2,192
83.25%
Cinema Ticket
$4.35 PKR 1,230
$3.6 PKR 1,018
20.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$57.7 PKR 16.3K
$40.12 PKR 11.3K
43.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,350 PKR 381.3K
$946 PKR 267.2K
42.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.87 PKR 5,047
$11.56 PKR 3,266
54.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.27 PKR 7,138
$18.51 PKR 5,229
36.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.4 PKR 18.5K
$88.7 PKR 25.1K
-26.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$35.61 PKR 10.1K
$28.41 PKR 8,023
25.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$121 PKR 34.2K
$131 PKR 36.9K
-7.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$75.9 PKR 21.4K
$64.8 PKR 18.3K
17.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$321 PKR 90.7K
$335 PKR 94.5K
-4.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$182 PKR 51.4K
$173 PKR 48.9K
5.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$576 PKR 162.7K
$1,151 PKR 325.1K
-49.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$365 PKR 103.2K
$515 PKR 145.3K
-28.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karachi
Rawalpindi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$190 PKR 53.8K
$167 PKR 47.2K
13.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.8
20.17
-11.75%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 27, 2025

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.