Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Ulan Ude

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,098 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
Learn more

Ulan Ude Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Ulan Ude

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude.

Karachi $490
Ulan Ude $1,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,685 in Ulan Ude.

Karachi $755
Ulan Ude $1,685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $2,272 in Ulan Ude.

Karachi $1,019
Ulan Ude $2,272

Living in Karachi costs roughly 55% less than in Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Ulan Ude 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$6.81 ₽579

-68.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$46.65 ₽3,969

-71.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$6.95 ₽591

-23.88%

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

$3.47 ₽296

-39.19%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$1.80 ₽154

-79.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$1.73 ₽147

-83.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₽310

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 ₽488

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.26 ₽107

-31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$0.84 ₽71.7

-38.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.45 ₽38.68

175.56%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.88 ₽160

-34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$11.60 ₽987

-49.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$5.90 ₽502

-47.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$10.40 ₽885

-39.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$1.21 ₽103

6.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.79 ₽152

-69.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.17 ₽99.3

-15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$2.32 ₽198

-75.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$0.58 ₽48.94

-43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$0.84 ₽71.5

-58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$3.47 ₽295

-87.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.73 ₽62.0

-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

$2.85 ₽243

-37.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 ₽695

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽49.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽101

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.46 ₽38.80

-39.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$23.18 ₽1,972

-58.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.21 ₽103

-23.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.17 ₽14.61

317.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$7.10 ₽605

-68.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.78 ₽66.1

73.08%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$47.6K ₽4.0M

-62.52%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-23.77%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$118 ₽10.1K

-5.53%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$3.50 ₽298

72.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$8.20 ₽698

62.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$23.55 ₽2,004

-8.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$48.08 ₽4,091

-62.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$6.87 ₽585

-35.66%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$70.4 ₽5,992

-75.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$29.41 ₽2,503

-22.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$117 ₽9,919

-42.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$119 ₽10.1K

-65.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$501 ₽42.6K

-76.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$371 ₽31.5K

-79.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$773 ₽65.7K

-52.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$580 ₽49.3K

-68.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$1,977 ₽168.2K

-46.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$1,538 ₽130.9K

-68.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$884 ₽75.2K

-79.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

21.67

-39.04%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Ulan Ude

$130 12% 0.8% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1% 105% $106

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2% 390% $295

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9% 125% $84

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8% 164% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4% 22.9% $6.9

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5% 77.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $501 in Ulan Ude. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulan Ude pays 378% 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 $47.00 in Ulan Ude for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $207 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

436,138

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Ulan Ude 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Ulan Ude

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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Ulan Ude differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $1,098 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 378% lower in Ulan Ude. 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 $501 in Ulan Ude. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Ulan Ude. 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 $1,098 in Ulan Ude – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Ulan Ude. 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 124% less than in Ulan Ude. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.