Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Taipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $2,021 in Taipa, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Taipa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $2,021 in Taipa.

Karachi $490
Taipa $2,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $3,175 in Taipa.

Karachi $755
Taipa $3,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $4,330 in Taipa.

Karachi $1,019
Taipa $4,330

Living in Karachi costs roughly 76% less than in Taipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karachi is 63% below, Taipa is 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$6.30 MOP 50.9

-65.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$56.6 MOP 458

-76.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$5.96 MOP 48.13

-11.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$4.87 MOP 39.38

-56.67%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.77 MOP 6.21

-51.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.36 MOP 2.90

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 MOP 47.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 MOP 58.2

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$3.14 MOP 25.41

-72.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.76 MOP 14.19

-70.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.73 MOP 13.97

-28.32%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$3.35 MOP 27.06

-62.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$16.42 MOP 133

-64.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$19.52 MOP 158

-84.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$28.67 MOP 232

-78.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$2.66 MOP 21.49

-51.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$2.92 MOP 23.58

-81.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.90 MOP 15.32

-47.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$2.37 MOP 19.14

-76.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$4.04 MOP 32.67

-91.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$2.83 MOP 22.91

-87.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.62 MOP 5.03

-27.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.18 MOP 9.54

-62.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$6.88 MOP 55.6

-73.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.35

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MOP 18.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$2.55 MOP 20.64

-63.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.25 MOP 10.06

-43.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$15.06 MOP 122

-85.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.83 MOP 14.81

-26.23%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$31.5K MOP 254.6K

-43.36%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$31.8K MOP 257.1K

-15.94%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$122 MOP 984

-8.16%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$23.67 MOP 191

-74.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$36.90 MOP 298

-63.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$73.7 MOP 596

-70.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$3.74 MOP 30.22

375.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$12.47 MOP 101

-64.55%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$1,203 MOP 9,723

-95.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$18.7K MOP 150.8K

-89.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$69.9 MOP 565

-74.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$34.04 MOP 275

-33.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$93.2 MOP 754

-27.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$138 MOP 1,113

-70.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$1,065 MOP 8,607

-88.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$1,001 MOP 8,089

-92.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$2,130 MOP 17.2K

-82.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$1,891 MOP 15.3K

-90.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$15.9K MOP 128.2K

-93.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$13.6K MOP 109.8K

-96.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

340.33%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Taipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Taipa

$182 8.9% 39% $51

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Taipa

$425 20.8% 321% $324

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Taipa

$1K 49.1% 1222% $925

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Taipa

$151 7.4% 125% $84

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Taipa

$175 8.6% 187% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Taipa

$99 4.8% 225% $68

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4% 42.4% $6.5

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 $117 in Karachi and $1,065 in Taipa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $57.0 in Taipa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $425 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇴 Taipa

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

78,497

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Taipa 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Taipa

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 Taipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Taipa differ by about 312% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $2,021 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $735 in Karachi and $3,031 in Taipa 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: $117 in Karachi versus $1,065 in Taipa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 321% higher in Taipa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $2,021 in Taipa – a 312% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $2,021 in Taipa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Taipa. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Taipa 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 312% less than in Taipa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.