Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and San Pablo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $634 in San Pablo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in San Pablo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $634 in San Pablo.

Karachi $482
San Pablo $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $917 in San Pablo.

Karachi $750
San Pablo $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,200 in San Pablo.

Karachi $1,018
San Pablo $1,200

Living in Karachi costs roughly 24% less than in San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, San Pablo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.90 ₱245

-45.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$16.47 ₱1,037

-19.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$2.81 ₱177

93.95%

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

$1.83 ₱115

14.21%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.38 ₱24.14

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.18 ₱11.26

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.67 ₱105

-44.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.10 ₱69.2

-49.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.94 ₱59.1

32.98%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.08 ₱131

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$5.14 ₱324

10.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$3.41 ₱215

-7.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$7.73 ₱487

-18.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.32 ₱146

-45.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.41 ₱88.8

-62.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.61 ₱101

-37.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.04 ₱65.3

-46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.61 ₱101

-79.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.78 ₱112

-80.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.61 ₱38.28

-31.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.52 ₱32.95

-15.38%

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

$2.84 ₱179

-35.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₱409

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.23 ₱14.37

21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.81 ₱51.0

13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.25 ₱15.79

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.87 ₱118

15.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.15 ₱72.5

20.00%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

-17.21%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

40.44%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$143 ₱9,016

-20.78%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$11.84 ₱746

-49.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$23.37 ₱1,471

-43.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.13 ₱323

-17.93%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$132 ₱8,290

-60.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.9K ₱683.6K

-82.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$29.42 ₱1,852

-40.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$19.58 ₱1,232

20.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$71.5 ₱4,502

-3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$55.6 ₱3,500

-26.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$142 ₱8,963

-17.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$125 ₱7,875

-41.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$206 ₱13.0K

73.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$188 ₱11.8K

-0.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$956 ₱60.2K

10.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$811 ₱51.1K

-40.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$292 ₱18.4K

-37.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

6.75

95.70%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Pablo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

San Pablo

$178 28.1% 34.6% $46

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

San Pablo

$166 26.2% 63.9% $65

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

San Pablo

$125 19.7% 69.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

San Pablo

$79 12.5% 17% $12

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

San Pablo

$72 11.4% 18.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6% 65.8% $20

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5% 80.8% $13

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 $142 in San Pablo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pablo pays 59% 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 $16.00 in San Pablo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $166 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

266,068

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi San Pablo 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
San Pablo

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 San Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and San Pablo differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $634 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in San Pablo. 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 $142 in San Pablo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in San Pablo. 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 $634 in San Pablo – a 32% 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 San Pablo 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 32% less than in San Pablo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.