Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laoag City and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $743 in Laoag City, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $743 in Laoag City versus $482 in Karachi.

Laoag City $743
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,112 in Laoag City versus $750 in Karachi.

Laoag City $1,112
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,480 in Laoag City versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Laoag City $1,480
Karachi $1,018

Living in Laoag City is roughly 54% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Laoag City 45% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 ₱215

$2.13 PKR 588

60.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.52 ₱1,040

$13.30 PKR 3,680

24.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.94 ₱185

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-46.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱160

$2.09 PKR 579

21.53%

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

$0.67 ₱42.11

$0.40 PKR 111

67.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.52

$0.26 PKR 71.1

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ₱63.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱102

$0.92 PKR 254

77.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ₱73.8

$0.56 PKR 156

108.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$1.25 PKR 345

-26.40%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.23 PKR 341

58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.25 ₱331

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-7.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₱271

$3.16 PKR 876

36.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 ₱456

$6.28 PKR 1,737

15.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.26 PKR 348

92.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$0.53 PKR 148

207.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$1.00 PKR 276

144.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$0.56 PKR 154

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.33 PKR 91.4

487.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ₱119

$0.34 PKR 95.1

452.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$0.42 PKR 116

140.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱33.73

$0.44 PKR 121

22.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$1.84 PKR 509

57.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 ₱464

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱122

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.39

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.99 ₱755

$9.99 PKR 2,764

20.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱45.76

$0.92 PKR 256

-20.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.14

$0.70 PKR 193

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$2.16 PKR 597

1.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$1.38 PKR 382

-25.36%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

20.92%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-29.74%

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

$136 ₱8,542

$113 PKR 31.4K

19.59%

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

$14.48 ₱912

$5.95 PKR 1,648

143.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.79 ₱1,561

$13.16 PKR 3,642

88.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.51 ₱2,047

$21.55 PKR 5,965

50.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.10 ₱321

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-72.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱316

$4.21 PKR 1,165

19.48%

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

$133 ₱8,385

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

155.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,190 ₱515.6K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

322.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.49 ₱2,108

$17.55 PKR 4,858

90.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-16.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,481

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,483

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

36.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₱17.0K

$118 PKR 32.7K

128.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₱10.8K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

132.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.3K

$357 PKR 98.9K

43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₱20.7K

$188 PKR 52.0K

75.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱153.3K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

129.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 ₱68.4K

$481 PKR 133.1K

126.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₱10.2K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-11.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.21

-48.60%

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

Last update for Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Laoag City

$179 24.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 43.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laoag City

$175 23.5%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 24.2% $42

Accommodation & Living

Laoag City

$171 23%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 57% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Laoag City

$81 10.9%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 16.2% $13

Eating Out

Laoag City

$79 10.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 23% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Laoag City

$43 5.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 29.6% $13

Getting Around

Laoag City

$15 2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 3.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $270 in Laoag City and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17.00 in Laoag City vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

3 h behind Laoag City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,117

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Laoag City Karachi 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Laoag City
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

Laoag City vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laoag City and Karachi differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($743 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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: $270 in Laoag City versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $743 per month in Laoag City versus $482 in Karachi – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 20% less than in Laoag City. 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 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Laoag City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.