Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,018 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Karachi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Koh Phangan and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $490 in Karachi.

Koh Phangan $1,018
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,673 in Koh Phangan versus $755 in Karachi.

Koh Phangan $1,673
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,328 in Koh Phangan versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Koh Phangan $2,328
Karachi $1,019

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 108% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ฿136

$2.15 PKR 596

88.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ฿989

$13.37 PKR 3,700

120.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 ฿255

$5.29 PKR 1,464

43.48%

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

$2.50 ฿84.2

$2.11 PKR 583

18.48%

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

$0.81 ฿27.09

$0.37 PKR 103

118.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.28 PKR 78.2

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ฿77.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ฿114

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.5

$0.86 PKR 238

84.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ฿45.86

$0.52 PKR 144

161.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.24 PKR 344

20.97%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.24 PKR 342

65.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.36 ฿617

$5.86 PKR 1,622

213.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿107

$3.12 PKR 862

1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ฿357

$6.25 PKR 1,730

69.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.9

$1.29 PKR 356

116.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$0.54 PKR 150

185.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.5

$0.99 PKR 273

112.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.56 PKR 155

248.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$0.33 PKR 91.6

336.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿41.97

$0.35 PKR 95.8

257.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿34.39

$0.45 PKR 124

126.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.44 PKR 121

9.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 ฿139

$1.79 PKR 497

131.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 ฿580

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿67.2

$0.28 PKR 76.5

614.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ฿87.4

$0.92 PKR 255

182.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.71 PKR 196

30.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ฿113

$2.22 PKR 615

51.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.20

$1.35 PKR 372

-4.44%

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

$24.1K ฿809.2K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

34.92%

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

$24.1K ฿810.2K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-9.87%

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

$98.9 ฿3,324

$112 PKR 30.9K

-11.57%

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

$11.05 ฿371

$6.05 PKR 1,673

82.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.87 ฿567

$13.29 PKR 3,679

26.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ฿1,784

$21.51 PKR 5,954

146.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.77 ฿362

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-39.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ฿253

$4.42 PKR 1,222

70.36%

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

$557 ฿18.7K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

998.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿392.3K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

496.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 ฿2,151

$17.57 PKR 4,862

264.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿959

$22.78 PKR 6,304

25.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,223

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

41.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,922

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

112.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ฿17.2K

$117 PKR 32.4K

337.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ฿10.8K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

324.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 ฿48.5K

$365 PKR 101.1K

294.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 ฿28.4K

$182 PKR 50.5K

362.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 ฿81.4K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

129.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ฿59.8K

$491 PKR 135.8K

262.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ฿23.8K

$185 PKR 51.2K

283.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.21

-57.83%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 76.4% $246

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 60.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 3.4% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 45.9% $57

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 43.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 55.4% $38

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 0.1% $0

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 $513 in Koh Phangan and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 283% 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: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

13:35 1:35 PM

2 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Phangan Karachi 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Karachi

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

Koh Phangan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Karachi differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,018 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 283% higher in Koh Phangan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $513 in Koh Phangan versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 151% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,018 per month in Koh Phangan versus $490 in Karachi – a 108% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. 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, Koh Phangan and Karachi 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 108% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.