Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marawi and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $727 in Marawi, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
Learn more

Marawi Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $727 in Marawi versus $482 in Karachi.

Marawi $727
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Marawi versus $750 in Karachi.

Marawi $1,104
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Marawi versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Marawi $1,481
Karachi $1,018

Living in Marawi is roughly 51% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marawi 46% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ₱250

$2.13 PKR 588

86.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.84 ₱1,060

$13.30 PKR 3,680

26.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱171

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-50.09%

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

$2.20 ₱139

$2.09 PKR 579

5.26%

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

$0.61 ₱38.65

$0.40 PKR 111

52.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.03

$0.26 PKR 71.1

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₱67.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₱133

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$0.92 PKR 254

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.1

$0.56 PKR 156

96.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱60.8

$1.25 PKR 345

-22.40%

Eggs

$1.97 ₱124

$1.23 PKR 341

60.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.45 ₱343

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-3.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 ₱264

$3.16 PKR 876

32.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 ₱433

$6.28 PKR 1,737

9.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$1.26 PKR 348

95.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$0.53 PKR 148

203.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ₱152

$1.00 PKR 276

141.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$0.56 PKR 154

101.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 ₱121

$0.33 PKR 91.4

484.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$0.34 PKR 95.1

497.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱57.9

$0.42 PKR 116

119.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₱36.33

$0.44 PKR 121

31.82%

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)

$2.60 ₱164

$1.84 PKR 509

41.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 ₱485

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₱65.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.77

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.71 ₱800

$9.99 PKR 2,764

27.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.65

$0.92 PKR 256

-19.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.03

$0.70 PKR 193

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$2.16 PKR 597

-0.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱74.8

$1.38 PKR 382

-13.77%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

14.83%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-29.88%

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

$119 ₱7,466

$113 PKR 31.4K

4.52%

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

$17.08 ₱1,075

$5.95 PKR 1,648

187.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.37 ₱1,534

$13.16 PKR 3,642

85.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 ₱1,924

$21.55 PKR 5,965

41.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.56 ₱287

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-74.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₱286

$4.21 PKR 1,165

8.08%

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

$132 ₱8,339

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

153.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,903 ₱497.6K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

307.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.59 ₱2,052

$17.55 PKR 4,858

85.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 ₱1,241

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-16.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,436

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ₱3,452

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

35.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 ₱17.1K

$118 PKR 32.7K

130.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

134.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 ₱32.3K

$357 PKR 98.9K

43.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱21.9K

$188 PKR 52.0K

85.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,286 ₱144.0K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

115.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 ₱62.2K

$481 PKR 133.1K

105.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$289 ₱18.2K

$183 PKR 50.6K

58.02%

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 Marawi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marawi

$179 24.6%

Karachi

$101 21% 43.4% $78

Accommodation & Living

Marawi

$173 23.8%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 57.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marawi

$160 22%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 17.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Marawi

$80 11%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 15.2% $12

Eating Out

Marawi

$80 11%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 23.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Marawi

$40 5.5%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 24.4% $9.7

Getting Around

Marawi

$16 2.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $272 in Marawi and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marawi pays 58% 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: $17.00 in Marawi 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

🇵🇭 Marawi

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

3 h behind Marawi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,010

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marawi Karachi 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Marawi
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

Marawi vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marawi and Karachi differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($727 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Marawi, 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: $272 in Marawi versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $727 per month in Marawi versus $482 in Karachi – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 27% less than in Marawi. 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 51% less than in Marawi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.