Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mambajao and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $508 in Mambajao, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. The total is higher in Mambajao despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $508 in Mambajao versus $482 in Karachi.

Mambajao $508
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $817 in Mambajao versus $750 in Karachi.

Mambajao $817
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,126 in Mambajao versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Mambajao $1,126
Karachi $1,018

Living in Mambajao is roughly 5% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mambajao 62% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱85.9

$2.13 PKR 588

-36.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.83 ₱997

$13.30 PKR 3,680

19.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.40 ₱214

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-37.61%

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

$2.28 ₱144

$2.09 PKR 579

9.09%

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

$0.38 ₱24.02

$0.40 PKR 111

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.81

$0.26 PKR 71.1

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₱70.6

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$0.92 PKR 254

-2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$0.56 PKR 156

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.56

$1.25 PKR 345

-47.20%

Eggs

$1.26 ₱79.5

$1.23 PKR 341

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 ₱372

$5.67 PKR 1,570

4.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱270

$3.16 PKR 876

35.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 ₱346

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-12.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ₱160

$1.26 PKR 348

101.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$0.53 PKR 148

207.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$1.00 PKR 276

124.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$0.56 PKR 154

101.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.3

$0.33 PKR 91.4

290.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$0.34 PKR 95.1

505.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$0.42 PKR 116

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.37

$0.44 PKR 121

25.00%

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)

$2.51 ₱158

$1.84 PKR 509

36.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱70.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.71 ₱675

$9.99 PKR 2,764

7.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.54

$0.92 PKR 256

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱12.97

$0.70 PKR 193

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ₱107

$2.16 PKR 597

-21.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.3

$1.38 PKR 382

-7.25%

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

$21.9K ₱1.4M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

22.63%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-19.66%

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

$64.9 ₱4,083

$113 PKR 31.4K

-42.84%

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

$16.36 ₱1,030

$5.95 PKR 1,648

174.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 ₱1,266

$13.16 PKR 3,642

52.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.72 ₱1,745

$21.55 PKR 5,965

28.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 ₱295

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-74.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ₱312

$4.21 PKR 1,165

17.58%

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

$127 ₱7,995

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

143.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,993 ₱566.2K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

363.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.83 ₱1,941

$17.55 PKR 4,858

75.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 ₱1,386

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-6.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ₱4,553

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 ₱3,975

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

55.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₱6,360

$118 PKR 32.7K

-14.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.3 ₱3,542

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

-23.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-33.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,973

$188 PKR 52.0K

-15.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,172 ₱136.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

104.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$990 ₱62.3K

$481 PKR 133.1K

105.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$153 ₱9,616

$183 PKR 50.6K

-16.49%

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 Mambajao: 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

Mambajao

$156 30.7%

Karachi

$101 21% 35.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mambajao

$101 20%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 30.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Mambajao

$85 16.7%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 20.1% $17

Eating Out

Mambajao

$59 11.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 4.4% $2.6

Accommodation & Living

Mambajao

$56 11.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 30.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mambajao

$38 7.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 20.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Mambajao

$13 2.6%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 17.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $101 in Mambajao and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16.00 in Mambajao vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

3 h behind Mambajao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,094

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mambajao Karachi 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mambajao
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

Mambajao vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mambajao and Karachi differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($508 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 20% 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: $101 in Mambajao versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $508 per month in Mambajao versus $482 in Karachi – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 7% less than in Mambajao. 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, Mambajao 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 5% less than in Mambajao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.