Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $490 in Karachi.

Mexico City $1,561
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $755 in Karachi.

Mexico City $2,440
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Mexico City $3,319
Karachi $1,019

Living in Mexico City is roughly 219% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Karachi is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$202

$2.15 PKR 596

417.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$891

$13.37 PKR 3,700

266.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$204

$5.29 PKR 1,464

112.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$68.4

$2.11 PKR 583

78.20%

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

$1.65 MX$30.05

$0.37 PKR 103

345.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.27

$0.28 PKR 78.2

357.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$103

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$32.92

$0.86 PKR 238

110.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$0.52 PKR 144

465.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.27

$1.24 PKR 344

65.32%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.2

$1.24 PKR 342

136.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$217

$5.86 PKR 1,622

103.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$173

$3.12 PKR 862

204.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$270

$6.25 PKR 1,730

137.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.2

$1.29 PKR 356

143.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.65

$0.54 PKR 150

272.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$37.75

$0.99 PKR 273

110.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.35

$0.56 PKR 155

296.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.47

$0.33 PKR 91.6

524.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.14

$0.35 PKR 95.8

437.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$26.93

$0.45 PKR 124

228.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.47

$0.44 PKR 121

206.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$98.4

$1.79 PKR 497

202.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$307

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$78.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.27

$0.28 PKR 76.5

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$368

$9.68 PKR 2,679

108.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.11

$0.92 PKR 255

128.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.65

$0.71 PKR 196

-25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$98.3

$2.22 PKR 615

143.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.65

$1.35 PKR 372

12.59%

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

$21.7K MX$395.3K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

21.81%

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

$24.8K MX$451.4K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-7.21%

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

$63.0 MX$1,145

$112 PKR 30.9K

-43.68%

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

$28.88 MX$525

$6.05 PKR 1,673

377.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$617

$13.29 PKR 3,679

155.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,015

$21.51 PKR 5,954

159.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$453

$17.80 PKR 4,927

39.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$123

$4.42 PKR 1,222

53.17%

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

$428 MX$7,781

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

743.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$216.0K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

506.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,274

$17.57 PKR 4,862

298.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$977

$22.78 PKR 6,304

135.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$1,997

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

62.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,096

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

181.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.3K

$117 PKR 32.4K

806.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.2K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

785.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.3K

$365 PKR 101.1K

551.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$22.9K

$182 PKR 50.5K

591.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$67.6K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

252.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$35.9K

$491 PKR 135.8K

302.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.1K

$185 PKR 51.2K

439.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.21

-14.46%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 88.7% $595

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 69.2% $226

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 70.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 57.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 4.3% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 56.2% $39

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 42.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 439% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

11 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Karachi 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico 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

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

Mexico City and Karachi differ by about 219% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 439% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,561 per month in Mexico City versus $490 in Karachi – a 219% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 109% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 219% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.