Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Karachi $482
Santa Cruz, Laguna $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $931 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Karachi $750
Santa Cruz, Laguna $931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,236 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Karachi $1,018
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236

Living in Karachi costs roughly 23% less than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Santa Cruz, Laguna 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.57 ₱99.0

35.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$8.09 ₱509

64.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$2.76 ₱174

97.46%

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

$1.78 ₱112

17.42%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.38 ₱23.98

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.23 ₱14.42

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.1

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.63 ₱103

-43.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.16 ₱72.9

-51.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.00 ₱63.3

25.00%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.55 ₱97.5

-20.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$4.65 ₱293

21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$3.50 ₱220

-9.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$7.07 ₱445

-11.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.46 ₱92.1

-13.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.46 ₱28.85

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.44 ₱91.0

-30.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.02 ₱64.2

-45.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.76 ₱111

-81.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.74 ₱109

-80.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.67 ₱41.99

-37.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.53 ₱33.46

-16.98%

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

$2.89 ₱182

-36.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₱541

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱131

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.21 ₱13.40

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$11.41 ₱718

-12.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.81 ₱51.2

13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.23 ₱14.36

204.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.92 ₱121

12.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.25 ₱78.7

10.40%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-15.56%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.69%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$85.1 ₱5,359

33.28%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$17.58 ₱1,107

-66.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$23.61 ₱1,487

-44.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$31.48 ₱1,982

-31.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$4.14 ₱261

340.34%

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

$134 ₱8,442

-61.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.7K ₱675.9K

-81.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$28.89 ₱1,819

-39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$19.72 ₱1,242

19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$72.5 ₱4,565

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$55.8 ₱3,515

-27.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$242 ₱15.2K

-51.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$157 ₱9,895

-53.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$475 ₱29.9K

-24.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$302 ₱19.0K

-37.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,296 ₱144.5K

-53.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$886 ₱55.8K

-45.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2% 4.7% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9% 53.8% $54

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1% 114% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7% 17.6% $12

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2% 15.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7% 39.3% $12

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 8.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Groceries flip the comparison at $101 vs $156, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

123,574

💱 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

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Between locations

Karachi Santa Cruz, Laguna 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Santa Cruz, Laguna differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $626 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $723 in Karachi and $940 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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: $118 in Karachi versus $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 14% less than in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.