Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Worcester, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $688 in Worcester, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Worcester despite lower rent and utilities.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Worcester
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Worcester Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Worcester

🇿🇦 South Africa

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Worcester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $495 in Karachi versus $688 in Worcester.

Karachi $495
Worcester $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Karachi versus $1,543 in Worcester.

Karachi $770
Worcester $1,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in Karachi versus $2,398 in Worcester.

Karachi $1,046
Worcester $2,398

Living in Karachi costs roughly 28% less than in Worcester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Worcester 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$5.05 R 84.2

-56.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$33.13 R 552

-61.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$4.42 R 73.7

19.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$1.54 R 25.65

40.26%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.80 R 13.41

-52.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.71 R 11.75

-64.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 R 35.77

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$0.81 R 13.53

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$1.00 R 16.67

-48.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.23 R 20.50

-2.44%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.71 R 28.48

-26.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$8.90 R 148

-34.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$6.86 R 114

-54.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$5.47 R 91.2

19.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.84 R 30.61

-30.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$1.87 R 31.19

-71.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$1.68 R 27.91

-39.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$2.07 R 34.43

-72.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.69 R 11.53

-50.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$1.49 R 24.86

-79.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$1.28 R 21.29

-67.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$1.18 R 19.73

-63.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$3.63 R 60.5

-50.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.14 R 102

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R 36.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.58 R 9.59

58.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$1.48 R 24.65

-50.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$4.82 R 80.3

-53.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.57 R 26.20

-15.29%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$34.6K R 576.9K

-47.26%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$33.4K R 557.3K

-21.11%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$117 R 1,941

-3.72%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$28.46 R 474

-78.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$40.51 R 675

-67.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,826

$50.4 R 840

-51.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$12.25 R 204

49.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$8.78 R 146

-50.57%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$301 R 5,021

-77.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

$6,767 R 112.8K

-71.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$55.0 R 916

-67.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,097

$32.40 R 540

-32.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$122 R 2,026

-43.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$104 R 1,727

-60.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$395 R 6,589

-65.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$787 R 13.1K

-50.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$915 R 15.2K

-77.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

$966 R 16.1K

-80.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

10.97

20.42%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Worcester: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Worcester

$185 27% 41.2% $54

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Worcester

$192 27.8% 88.7% $90

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Worcester

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Worcester

$141 20.4% 110% $74

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Worcester

$95 13.7% 52.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Worcester

$68 9.9% 104% $35

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Worcester

$8 * 1.2% 54.2% $9.4

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 $136 in Karachi and $395 in Worcester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $33 in Worcester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $192 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇿🇦 Worcester

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

3 h behind Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

97,098

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Worcester 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Worcester

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 Worcester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $495 in Karachi and $688 in Worcester, so Karachi is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Karachi. 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: $136 in Karachi versus $395 in Worcester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Worcester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $495 per month in Karachi versus $688 in Worcester – Karachi is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Karachi wins on affordability, Worcester on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.