Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $704 in Marikina, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $704 in Marikina versus $482 in Karachi.

Marikina $704
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,094 in Marikina versus $750 in Karachi.

Marikina $1,094
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,484 in Marikina versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Marikina $1,484
Karachi $1,018

Living in Marikina is roughly 46% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marikina 48% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$2.13 PKR 588

91.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,039

$13.30 PKR 3,678

143.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$5.45 PKR 1,507

-41.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,004

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$2.09 PKR 579

9.57%

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

$0.55 ₱34.82

$0.40 PKR 111

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.93

$0.26 PKR 71.1

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$0.92 PKR 254

101.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.8

$0.56 PKR 156

119.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$1.25 PKR 345

-15.20%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$1.23 PKR 341

69.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$5.67 PKR 1,569

30.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$3.16 PKR 875

32.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$6.28 PKR 1,736

7.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$1.26 PKR 348

95.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$0.53 PKR 147

283.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.00 PKR 276

133.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$0.56 PKR 154

310.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$0.33 PKR 91.3

621.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$0.34 PKR 95.1

923.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$0.42 PKR 116

161.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.24

$0.44 PKR 121

59.09%

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)

$2.93 ₱184

$1.84 PKR 508

59.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.36

$0.28 PKR 77.0

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,763

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.07

$0.92 PKR 256

-20.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$0.70 PKR 193

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.16 PKR 596

-10.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.4

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.14%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

21.12%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-28.25%

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

$139 ₱8,748

$113 PKR 31.4K

22.42%

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

$16.19 ₱1,020

$5.95 PKR 1,647

172.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,770

$13.16 PKR 3,640

113.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,314

$21.55 PKR 5,962

70.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,041

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$4.21 PKR 1,164

68.88%

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

$131 ₱8,254

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

151.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.7K

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

284.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,776

$17.55 PKR 4,855

241.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,787

$23.51 PKR 6,502

20.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,747

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

9.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,444

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

34.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$118 PKR 32.6K

52.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,989

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

7.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,115

$188 PKR 52.0K

-23.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

6.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$481 PKR 133.0K

-0.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.4K

$183 PKR 50.6K

111.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

13.21

-48.90%

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

Last update for Marikina: 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

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 50.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 27.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 31.1% $31

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 26.3% $22

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 7.1% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 41.2% $21

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 300% $12

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 $180 in Marikina and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marikina pays 111% 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: $32.00 in Marikina vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

21:36 9:36 PM

3 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

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 = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Marikina Karachi 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
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

Marikina vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marikina and Karachi differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($704 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 111% higher in Marikina, 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: $180 in Marikina versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 103% higher in Marikina. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $704 per month in Marikina versus $482 in Karachi – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Marikina 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 46% less than in Marikina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.