Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lipa and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $607 in Lipa, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Lipa
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Lipa Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Lipa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $607 in Lipa versus $482 in Karachi.

Lipa $607
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $937 in Lipa versus $750 in Karachi.

Lipa $937
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,268 in Lipa versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Lipa $1,268
Karachi $1,018

Living in Lipa is roughly 26% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lipa 55% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 ₱198

$2.13 PKR 588

47.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.01 ₱1,008

$13.30 PKR 3,680

20.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.75 ₱173

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-49.54%

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

$1.80 ₱113

$2.09 PKR 579

-13.88%

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

$0.45 ₱28.54

$0.40 PKR 111

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.15

$0.26 PKR 71.1

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱101

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ₱92.7

$0.92 PKR 254

59.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$0.56 PKR 156

105.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.8

$1.25 PKR 345

-30.40%

Eggs

$1.68 ₱106

$1.23 PKR 341

36.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.98 ₱314

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 ₱213

$3.16 PKR 876

7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.99 ₱503

$6.28 PKR 1,737

27.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₱144

$1.26 PKR 348

81.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱101

$0.53 PKR 148

201.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.00 PKR 276

134.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.6

$0.56 PKR 154

91.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 ₱105

$0.33 PKR 91.4

403.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₱107

$0.34 PKR 95.1

400.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.18

$0.42 PKR 116

54.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.96

$0.44 PKR 121

11.36%

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)

$2.88 ₱181

$1.84 PKR 509

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 ₱564

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱126

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.65

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.81 ₱303

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-51.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₱43.83

$0.92 PKR 256

-23.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.48

$0.70 PKR 193

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.16 PKR 597

-12.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱69.9

$1.38 PKR 382

-19.57%

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

$21.3K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

19.21%

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

$15.9K ₱1.0M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-41.18%

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

$138 ₱8,711

$113 PKR 31.4K

21.96%

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

$17.20 ₱1,083

$5.95 PKR 1,648

189.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.11 ₱1,455

$13.16 PKR 3,642

75.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.15 ₱2,024

$21.55 PKR 5,965

49.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.93 ₱247

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-78.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 ₱311

$4.21 PKR 1,165

17.34%

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

$133 ₱8,392

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

155.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱670.2K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

448.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.59 ₱1,800

$17.55 PKR 4,858

62.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.30 ₱1,215

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-17.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,504

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

3.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,496

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$80.4 ₱5,061

$118 PKR 32.7K

-31.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$61.6 ₱3,881

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

-16.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.8K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-29.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ₱11.4K

$188 PKR 52.0K

-3.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$225 ₱14.2K

$183 PKR 50.6K

23.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-54.58%

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

Last update for Lipa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lipa

$179 29.4%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 25.8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Lipa

$172 28.3%

Karachi

$101 21% 41.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lipa

$79 13%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 14% $11

Eating Out

Lipa

$66 10.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 7.9% $5.2

Accommodation & Living

Lipa

$62 10.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 19.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lipa

$42 6.9%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 28.7% $12

Getting Around

Lipa

$7.7 1.3%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 103% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $80.4 in Lipa and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lipa pays 23% 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: $16.00 in Lipa vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Lipa

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

3 h behind Lipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

332,386

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 = 70.78 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

Lipa Karachi 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lipa
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

Lipa vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lipa and Karachi differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($607 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Lipa, 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: $80.4 in Lipa versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $607 per month in Lipa versus $482 in Karachi – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 108% less than in Lipa. 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.

Safety-wise, Lipa 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 26% less than in Lipa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.