Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Sheikhupura

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $496 a month against $520 in Sheikhupura, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. The total is higher in Sheikhupura despite lower rent and utilities.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Sheikhupura
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Sheikhupura Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$496

/mo nomad

Sheikhupura

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Sheikhupura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Karachi versus $520 in Sheikhupura.

Karachi $496
Sheikhupura $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $769 in Karachi versus $819 in Sheikhupura.

Karachi $769
Sheikhupura $819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,042 in Karachi versus $1,119 in Sheikhupura.

Karachi $1,042
Sheikhupura $1,119

Living in Karachi costs roughly 4% less than in Sheikhupura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 611

$3.57 PKR 986

-38.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.74 PKR 3,522

$23.07 PKR 6,375

-44.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 PKR 1,459

$5.55 PKR 1,533

-4.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 PKR 615

$3.53 PKR 975

-36.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 PKR 1,964

$6.94 PKR 1,918

2.45%

Cappuccino

$2.08 PKR 575

$2.55 PKR 706

-18.43%

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

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.32 PKR 88.3

21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 68.4

$0.21 PKR 57.9

19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 233

$0.99 PKR 274

-15.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.74 PKR 203

-28.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.26 PKR 348

-4.76%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.28 PKR 352

-6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.69 PKR 1,572

$6.00 PKR 1,658

-5.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 PKR 840

$3.02 PKR 835

0.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.16 PKR 1,704

$5.34 PKR 1,475

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 PKR 361

$1.29 PKR 356

1.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 148

$0.87 PKR 239

-37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 PKR 272

$1.07 PKR 295

-8.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 148

$0.53 PKR 146

1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.2

$0.27 PKR 73.9

3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.8

$0.38 PKR 106

-13.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PKR 122

$0.30 PKR 83.8

46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 105

$0.39 PKR 109

-2.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.30 PKR 358

$1.86 PKR 515

-30.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 PKR 370

$1.23 PKR 341

8.94%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 671

$2.42 PKR 670

0.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 PKR 497

$2.34 PKR 646

-23.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.19 PKR 51.5

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 PKR 3,197

$9.90 PKR 2,738

16.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 PKR 266

$1.28 PKR 355

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.68 PKR 189

4.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 PKR 609

$1.61 PKR 445

36.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 PKR 391

$1.36 PKR 377

3.68%

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

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

$21.3K PKR 5.9M

-15.70%

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

$25.8K PKR 7.1M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

11.58%

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

$116 PKR 31.9K

$101 PKR 28.0K

14.12%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,552

$5.94 PKR 1,643

-5.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.77 PKR 3,531

$16.74 PKR 4,627

-23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.83 PKR 6,863

$14.72 PKR 4,069

68.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.96 PKR 4,963

$8.23 PKR 2,274

118.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PKR 1,195

$4.76 PKR 1,314

-9.24%

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

$68.5 PKR 18.9K

$43.17 PKR 11.9K

58.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,195 PKR 2.3M

$1,052 PKR 290.8K

678.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.23 PKR 5,040

$26.44 PKR 7,307

-31.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.50 PKR 6,220

$34.46 PKR 9,525

-34.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 PKR 19.4K

$98.3 PKR 27.2K

-28.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.53 PKR 12.0K

$41.10 PKR 11.4K

5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$135 PKR 37.2K

1.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.8 PKR 22.9K

$85.4 PKR 23.6K

-3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 PKR 107.9K

$266 PKR 73.6K

46.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 PKR 56.8K

$180 PKR 49.7K

14.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,083 PKR 299.4K

$816 PKR 225.6K

32.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$489 PKR 135.1K

$512 PKR 141.6K

-4.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 PKR 46.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.05

13.08

-0.23%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sheikhupura: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$134 27%

Sheikhupura

$124 23.9% 7.5% $10

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$98 19.8%

Sheikhupura

$103 19.7% 4.3% $4.3

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$83 16.7%

Sheikhupura

$85 16.4% 3.2% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$70 14%

Sheikhupura

$90 17.4% 29.6% $21

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.3%

Sheikhupura

$78 15% 27.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.8%

Sheikhupura

$24 4.7% 27.6% $9.2

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Sheikhupura

$15 3% 10.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $135 in Sheikhupura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $23 in Sheikhupura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $98 vs $103 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Sheikhupura

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

473,129

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Sheikhupura 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Sheikhupura

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 Sheikhupura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $496 in Karachi and $520 in Sheikhupura, so Karachi is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $744 in Karachi and $779 in Sheikhupura 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 $135 in Sheikhupura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $496 per month in Karachi versus $520 in Sheikhupura – Karachi is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Sheikhupura 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.