Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Wah

For one person, living is cheaper in Wah: $417 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $790 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Wah
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Wah Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Wah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Wah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $417 in Wah.

Karachi $483
Wah $417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $635 in Wah.

Karachi $754
Wah $635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $853 in Wah.

Karachi $1,025
Wah $853

Living in Karachi is roughly 16% more expensive than in Wah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Wah 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$1.86 PKR 514

13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$10.65 PKR 2,946

28.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$5.57 PKR 1,541

-0.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$2.47 PKR 684

-10.93%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$2.14 PKR 593

244.39%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$1.24 PKR 344

72.58%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.33 PKR 92.0

21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.26 PKR 72.2

7.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.76 PKR 211

18.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.60 PKR 166

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.26 PKR 349

-4.76%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.21 PKR 334

3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$8.51 PKR 2,355

-29.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$2.50 PKR 692

27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$4.00 PKR 1,107

62.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.11 PKR 307

11.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.63 PKR 174

-15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$0.58 PKR 160

77.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.63 PKR 175

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.30 PKR 84.2

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.47 PKR 131

-34.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.42 PKR 116

-2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.43 PKR 119

2.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$0.57 PKR 157

129.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$0.56 PKR 154

137.50%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$0.70 PKR 194

245.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$1.41 PKR 390

29.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.15 PKR 42.83

86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$9.97 PKR 2,761

-1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.10 PKR 304

-20.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$1.05 PKR 291

-29.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$2.86 PKR 791

-22.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.17 PKR 323

17.95%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$23.7K PKR 6.5M

-22.43%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$23.0K PKR 6.4M

14.80%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$66.8 PKR 18.5K

69.71%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$5.70 PKR 1,577

7.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$14.27 PKR 3,951

-8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$14.99 PKR 4,149

45.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$7.84 PKR 2,170

133.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$7.44 PKR 2,058

-42.74%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$26.43 PKR 7,315

97.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$2,033 PKR 562.7K

-4.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$19.26 PKR 5,331

-8.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$26.79 PKR 7,415

-14.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$54.9 PKR 15.2K

24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$30.15 PKR 8,345

37.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$127 PKR 35.1K

-7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$78.7 PKR 21.8K

-6.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$250 PKR 69.3K

43.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$147 PKR 40.7K

28.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$923 PKR 255.4K

17.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$483 PKR 133.6K

-1.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

11.83

11.67%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Wah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Wah

$87 20.8% 34.6% $46

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Wah

$97 23.3% 5% $5.1

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Wah

$79 18.9% 7.5% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Wah

$59 14.1% 12.6% $8.5

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Wah

$49 11.7% 21.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Wah

$30 7.2% 1.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Wah

$17 4.1% 9.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $127 in Wah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Karachi vs $11.00 in Wah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $97.0 per month, with Wah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Wah

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

400,733

💱 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

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Between locations

Karachi Wah 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Wah

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 Wah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Wah differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $417 including rent). Wah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $725 in Karachi and $626 in Wah 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: $118 in Karachi versus $127 in Wah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $483 per month in Karachi versus $417 in Wah – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Wah runs roughly 2% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Wah 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.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Wah 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 Wah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.