Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Sahiwal

For one person, living costs are similar in Karachi and in Sahiwal: $496 and $507 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Sahiwal
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Sahiwal Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$496

/mo nomad

Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$507

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Sahiwal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Karachi versus $507 in Sahiwal.

Karachi $496
Sahiwal $507

Estimated couple costs with rent: $769 in Karachi versus $761 in Sahiwal.

Karachi $769
Sahiwal $761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,042 in Karachi versus $1,015 in Sahiwal.

Karachi $1,042
Sahiwal $1,015

Monthly costs are close between Karachi and Sahiwal; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Sahiwal 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 611

$2.54 PKR 704

-12.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.74 PKR 3,525

$14.22 PKR 3,933

-10.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 PKR 1,461

$5.61 PKR 1,552

-5.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 PKR 616

$3.63 PKR 1,005

-38.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 PKR 1,966

$5.53 PKR 1,531

28.57%

Cappuccino

$2.08 PKR 576

$2.52 PKR 697

-17.46%

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

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.40 PKR 111

-2.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 68.4

$0.24 PKR 65.9

4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 234

$0.98 PKR 272

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.78 PKR 217

-32.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.18 PKR 327

1.69%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.16 PKR 320

3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.69 PKR 1,573

$6.41 PKR 1,773

-11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 PKR 841

$2.56 PKR 708

18.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.16 PKR 1,705

$4.98 PKR 1,379

23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 PKR 361

$1.18 PKR 327

11.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 148

$0.66 PKR 182

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 PKR 272

$0.91 PKR 252

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 148

$0.59 PKR 162

-8.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.2

$0.29 PKR 79.4

-3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.9

$0.39 PKR 107

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PKR 122

$0.45 PKR 124

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 105

$0.34 PKR 94.9

11.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.30 PKR 359

$1.06 PKR 292

22.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 PKR 370

$0.61 PKR 170

119.67%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 671

$1.65 PKR 457

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 PKR 498

$2.23 PKR 617

-19.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.3

$0.20 PKR 56.4

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 PKR 3,200

$10.00 PKR 2,767

15.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 PKR 266

$0.87 PKR 240

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.69 PKR 190

2.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 PKR 610

$1.76 PKR 488

25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 PKR 391

$1.40 PKR 386

0.71%

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

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

-0.99%

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

$25.8K PKR 7.1M

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

8.52%

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

$116 PKR 32.0K

$124 PKR 34.4K

-7.14%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,553

$5.52 PKR 1,527

1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.77 PKR 3,534

$16.08 PKR 4,449

-20.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.83 PKR 6,869

$15.10 PKR 4,178

64.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.96 PKR 4,967

$8.13 PKR 2,250

120.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PKR 1,196

$4.26 PKR 1,179

1.41%

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

$68.5 PKR 18.9K

$75.4 PKR 20.9K

-9.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,195 PKR 2.3M

$2,016 PKR 557.8K

306.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$17.94 PKR 4,962

1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.50 PKR 6,225

$27.74 PKR 7,674

-18.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 PKR 19.4K

$72.4 PKR 20.0K

-2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.53 PKR 12.0K

$32.68 PKR 9,040

33.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.7K

$134 PKR 37.2K

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.8 PKR 22.9K

$86.9 PKR 24.0K

-4.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 PKR 108.0K

$272 PKR 75.4K

43.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 PKR 56.9K

$181 PKR 50.0K

13.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,083 PKR 299.7K

$824 PKR 228.0K

31.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$489 PKR 135.2K

$494 PKR 136.7K

-1.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 PKR 46.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.05

14.05

-7.12%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sahiwal: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$134 27%

Sahiwal

$146 28.8% 9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$98 19.8%

Sahiwal

$98 19.3% 0.4% $0.4

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$83 16.7%

Sahiwal

$87 17.1% 4.9% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$70 14%

Sahiwal

$68 13.4% 2.4% $1.7

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.3%

Sahiwal

$70 13.8% 14.7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.8%

Sahiwal

$24 4.7% 29.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Sahiwal

$15 3% 12% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $134 in Sahiwal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $14 in Sahiwal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $98 vs $98 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

389,605

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Sahiwal 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Sahiwal

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 Sahiwal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $744 in Karachi and $761 in Sahiwal 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: $136 in Karachi versus $134 in Sahiwal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $68 in Karachi versus $75 in Sahiwal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Sahiwal runs roughly 14% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.