Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Sialkot

For one person, living is cheaper in Sialkot: $351 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Sialkot
Learn more

Sialkot Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Sialkot

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Sialkot

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $351 in Sialkot.

Karachi $482
Sialkot $351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $509 in Sialkot.

Karachi $750
Sialkot $509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $668 in Sialkot.

Karachi $1,018
Sialkot $668

Living in Karachi is roughly 37% more expensive than in Sialkot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Sialkot 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.05 PKR 291

102.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$7.30 PKR 2,021

82.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.35 PKR 1,480

1.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

$3.59 PKR 994

-39.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

$2.85 PKR 789

154.04%

Cappuccino

$2.09 PKR 579

$1.64 PKR 455

27.44%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.30 PKR 82.1

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.21 PKR 58.2

23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.91 PKR 253

1.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.60 PKR 166

-6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.01 PKR 278

23.76%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.13 PKR 313

8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$4.13 PKR 1,142

37.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$1.69 PKR 466

86.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$5.41 PKR 1,498

16.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.13 PKR 312

11.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.52 PKR 145

1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$0.75 PKR 207

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.56 PKR 156

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.27 PKR 74.2

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.39 PKR 107

-12.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.30 PKR 83.9

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.39 PKR 109

12.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.48 PKR 410

-15.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

$1.06 PKR 293

24.53%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.69 PKR 745

-10.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.31 PKR 640

-20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.18 PKR 50.9

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$10.92 PKR 3,022

-8.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.22 PKR 339

-24.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.38 PKR 106

84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$1.63 PKR 452

32.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.21 PKR 334

14.05%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$19.7K PKR 5.4M

-8.97%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

13.26%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$100 PKR 27.7K

13.40%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$5.84 PKR 1,617

1.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$16.83 PKR 4,659

-21.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$7.15 PKR 1,978

201.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$5.53 PKR 1,529

229.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.42 PKR 1,225

-4.75%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$20.03 PKR 5,545

160.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$268 PKR 74.1K

624.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$14.33 PKR 3,965

22.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$16.83 PKR 4,657

39.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$27.28 PKR 7,550

152.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$21.47 PKR 5,943

89.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$49.43 PKR 13.7K

138.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$32.62 PKR 9,029

125.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$109 PKR 30.1K

228.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$65.6 PKR 18.2K

186.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$153 PKR 42.3K

19.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

13.08

0.99%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sialkot: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Sialkot

$123 35% 7.4% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Sialkot

$83 23.6% 18.2% $18

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Sialkot

$33 9.3% 55.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Sialkot

$36 10.2% 46.9% $32

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Sialkot

$46 13.2% 24.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Sialkot

$16 4.6% 46.6% $14

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Sialkot

$15 4.2% 4.6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $49.43 in Sialkot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 20% 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 $7.00 in Sialkot for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $83.0 per month, with Sialkot cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Sialkot

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

655,852

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Sialkot 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Sialkot

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 Sialkot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Sialkot differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $351 including rent). Sialkot is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Karachi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $49.43 in Sialkot. 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 $351 in Sialkot – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sialkot runs roughly 9% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Sialkot 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 Sialkot gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.