Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Karak

For one person, living is cheaper in Karak: $434 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Karak
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$434
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Karak

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 Karak actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $434 in Karak, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,548
  • Karak $434

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $636 in Karak, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,436
  • Karak $636

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $838 in Karak, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,323
  • Karak $838

Mexico City costs about 256% more than Karak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Karak is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 MX$204
$0.70 PKR 193
1474.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.68 MX$900
$7.41 PKR 2,050
556.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.90 MX$201
$5.38 PKR 1,489
102.60%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.73 PKR 203
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.01 PKR 1,939
-
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$0.57 PKR 157
545.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 MX$30.18
$0.36 PKR 98.5
352.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 MX$23.07
$0.23 PKR 63.9
443.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.25 MX$60.1
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 MX$102
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$31.50
$0.93 PKR 258
82.80%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 MX$55.8
$0.53 PKR 145
469.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.53
$1.05 PKR 292
82.86%
Eggs
$2.73 MX$50.5
$1.10 PKR 304
148.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.77 MX$218
$1.78 PKR 492
561.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 MX$176
$2.93 PKR 810
225.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.41 MX$266
$4.41 PKR 1,221
226.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 MX$55.8
$0.69 PKR 192
337.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.01
$0.55 PKR 153
243.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.70
$0.75 PKR 207
165.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$40.38
$0.52 PKR 144
321.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.43
$0.29 PKR 80.5
562.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 MX$34.49
$0.38 PKR 106
392.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 MX$26.62
$0.17 PKR 48.32
747.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.39
$0.24 PKR 65.8
429.17%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.86 PKR 515
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.19 PKR 331
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.35 PKR 652
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.22 MX$96.4
$2.33 PKR 645
124.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.17 MX$299
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 MX$35.03
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 MX$78.0
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MX$6.30
$0.19 PKR 51.7
78.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.65 MX$363
$9.86 PKR 2,730
99.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.90
$1.23 PKR 341
62.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 MX$9.67
$0.70 PKR 194
-25.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.34 MX$98.7
$1.58 PKR 438
237.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.13
$1.38 PKR 381
10.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.1K MX$408.0K
$21.8K PKR 6.0M
1.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$452.9K
$24.3K PKR 6.7M
0.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 MX$1,129
$101 PKR 27.9K
-39.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.58 MX$528
$6.03 PKR 1,669
373.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.47 MX$637
$16.84 PKR 4,660
104.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,042
$14.67 PKR 4,061
284.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.88 MX$460
$8.25 PKR 2,282
201.58%
Cinema Ticket
$6.66 MX$123
$4.24 PKR 1,172
57.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$427 MX$7,891
$76.0 PKR 21.0K
461.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K MX$215.0K
$1,060 PKR 293.3K
998.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 MX$1,253
$26.54 PKR 7,346
155.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.0 MX$960
$35.24 PKR 9,753
47.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 MX$1,959
$97.5 PKR 27.0K
8.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 MX$2,080
$41.37 PKR 11.4K
172.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,025 MX$18.9K
$128 PKR 35.5K
698.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$654 MX$12.1K
$77.1 PKR 21.3K
748.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,308 MX$42.7K
$258 PKR 71.3K
795.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,242 MX$22.9K
$147 PKR 40.8K
743.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,613 MX$66.8K
$922 PKR 255.1K
291.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,936 MX$35.8K
$486 PKR 134.5K
298.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Karak
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$964 MX$17.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
13.08
-13.61%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Karak: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$654
Karak
$77 88.2% $577
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$318
Karak
$74 76.8% $244
Eating Out
Mexico City
$204
Karak
$31 84.9% $173
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$152
Karak
$90 40.7% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$124
Karak
$124 0.5% $0.6
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Karak
$23 66.8% $47
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Karak
$15 40.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $128 in Karak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $7.00 in Karak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $74.0 – making Karak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇵🇰 Karak
🕒 Local time
06:32 6:32 AM
17:32 5:32 PM
11 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
51,149
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Karak 14,080 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Karak

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 Karak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Karak?
Mexico City costs about 256% more than Karak, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mexico City and in Karak?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $651 in Karak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mexico City or Karak?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karak, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Mexico City compared to Karak?
Public transport costs about 99% less in Karak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Mexico City and in Karak?
Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $76.0 in Karak. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mexico City or in Karak?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karak, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Karak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mexico City or Karak?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Karak costs $434 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Mexico City or to Karak?
If budget matters most, go with Karak. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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