Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Ulaanbaatar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar.

Karachi $490
Ulaanbaatar $1,159

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar.

Karachi $755
Ulaanbaatar $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar.

Karachi $1,019
Ulaanbaatar $2,602

Living in Karachi costs roughly 58% less than in Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Ulaanbaatar 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

-61.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

-58.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

-5.37%

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

$2.35 MNT 8,452

-10.21%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.87 MNT 3,130

-57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.62 MNT 2,225

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 MNT 8,233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.41 MNT 5,064

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$0.98 MNT 3,508

-46.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.14 MNT 7,672

-42.06%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.11 MNT 7,596

-41.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

-52.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

-36.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

-7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

-59.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$2.36 MNT 8,492

-77.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

-72.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

-81.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$0.72 MNT 2,586

-54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.03 MNT 3,700

-66.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$1.75 MNT 6,281

-74.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.73 MNT 2,610

-39.73%

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

$1.66 MNT 5,961

7.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MNT 5,403

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MNT 6,246

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.29 MNT 1,045

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

-42.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$0.54 MNT 1,952

70.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.52 MNT 1,863

36.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

-65.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.12 MNT 4,016

20.54%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

-34.86%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

-21.97%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

57.22%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

-19.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

-4.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

-67.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

-1.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

4.25%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$814 MNT 2.9M

-93.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

-76.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

-78.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

-50.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$101 MNT 364.2K

-33.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$184 MNT 661.7K

-77.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$578 MNT 2.1M

-79.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$443 MNT 1.6M

-82.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

-78.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$992 MNT 3.6M

-81.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

-44.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$973 MNT 3.5M

-49.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$593 MNT 2.1M

-68.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

10.32

28.00%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9% 29.4% $39

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1% 133% $134

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38% 485% $367

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9% 177% $119

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8% 86.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5% 149% $45

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 37.9% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $578 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulaanbaatar pays 221% 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 $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $234 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, 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).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi Ulaanbaatar 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Ulaanbaatar

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 Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Ulaanbaatar differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $1,159 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 221% lower in Ulaanbaatar. 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: $117 in Karachi versus $578 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 73% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Ulaanbaatar. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.