Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Tao 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 Tao and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Koh Tao versus $490 in Karachi.

Koh Tao $1,038
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,702 in Koh Tao versus $755 in Karachi.

Koh Tao $1,702
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,367 in Koh Tao versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Koh Tao $2,367
Karachi $1,019

Living in Koh Tao is roughly 112% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Tao 23% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ฿126

$2.15 PKR 596

74.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 ฿920

$13.37 PKR 3,700

105.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 ฿249

$5.29 PKR 1,464

40.64%

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

$2.29 ฿76.7

$2.11 PKR 583

8.53%

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

$0.74 ฿24.85

$0.37 PKR 103

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.14

$0.28 PKR 78.2

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.86 PKR 238

81.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.93

$0.52 PKR 144

151.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.89

$1.24 PKR 344

15.32%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$1.24 PKR 342

67.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 ฿623

$5.86 PKR 1,622

217.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ฿104

$3.12 PKR 862

-0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$6.25 PKR 1,731

65.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.5

$1.29 PKR 356

109.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$0.54 PKR 150

185.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.5

$0.99 PKR 273

118.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$0.56 PKR 155

248.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.03

$0.33 PKR 91.6

333.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.12

$0.35 PKR 95.9

260.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$0.45 PKR 124

135.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.44 PKR 121

15.91%

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)

$4.06 ฿136

$1.79 PKR 497

126.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ฿65.9

$0.28 PKR 76.5

603.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 ฿87.6

$0.92 PKR 255

184.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$0.71 PKR 196

28.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ฿117

$2.22 PKR 615

56.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$1.35 PKR 372

-4.44%

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

$23.8K ฿796.9K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

33.43%

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

$24.3K ฿813.9K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-9.09%

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

$96.6 ฿3,235

$112 PKR 30.9K

-13.57%

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

$11.14 ฿373

$6.05 PKR 1,673

84.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿564

$13.29 PKR 3,679

26.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ฿1,827

$21.51 PKR 5,954

153.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿389

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-34.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ฿264

$4.42 PKR 1,222

78.28%

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

$547 ฿18.3K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

978.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿383.3K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

485.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 ฿2,100

$17.57 PKR 4,862

256.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 ฿952

$22.78 PKR 6,304

24.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,220

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

42.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,952

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

115.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ฿17.9K

$117 PKR 32.5K

356.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

367.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ฿51.3K

$365 PKR 101.1K

319.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ฿30.0K

$182 PKR 50.5K

391.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ฿89.0K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

152.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$491 PKR 135.8K

290.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

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 Tao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$354 34%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 78.6% $278

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.2%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 60% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 5.2% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 46% $57

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$101 9.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 39.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$70 6.8%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 56.8% $40

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 1.3% $0.2

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 $535 in Koh Tao and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

2 h behind Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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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Highest

Between locations

Koh Tao Karachi 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Koh Tao and Karachi differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,038 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,557 in Koh Tao and $735 in Karachi 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: $535 in Koh Tao versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 150% higher in Koh Tao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,038 per month in Koh Tao versus $490 in Karachi – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,038 in Koh Tao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Koh Tao. 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 Tao 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 112% less than in Koh Tao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.