Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mianwali and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianwali: $415 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Mianwali
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Mianwali Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Mianwali

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $415 in Mianwali versus $482 in Karachi.

Mianwali $415
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $602 in Mianwali versus $750 in Karachi.

Mianwali $602
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $789 in Mianwali versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Mianwali $789
Karachi $1,018

Living in Mianwali costs roughly 14% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mianwali 69% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 PKR 707

$2.13 PKR 588

20.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.92 PKR 2,193

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-40.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 PKR 1,593

$5.45 PKR 1,508

5.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 PKR 1,022

$2.19 PKR 607

68.49%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 PKR 1,536

$7.24 PKR 2,005

-23.34%

Cappuccino

$1.05 PKR 292

$2.09 PKR 579

-49.76%

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

$0.24 PKR 66.1

$0.40 PKR 111

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 PKR 52.1

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 PKR 199

$0.92 PKR 254

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 PKR 137

$0.56 PKR 156

-10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 PKR 307

$1.25 PKR 345

-11.20%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.23 PKR 341

-2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 PKR 1,786

$5.67 PKR 1,570

13.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.47 PKR 407

$3.16 PKR 876

-53.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.51 PKR 973

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-44.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 PKR 330

$1.26 PKR 348

-5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.53 PKR 148

32.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 PKR 207

$1.00 PKR 276

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 PKR 125

$0.56 PKR 154

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 82.1

$0.33 PKR 91.4

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.9

$0.34 PKR 95.1

2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PKR 141

$0.42 PKR 116

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.44 PKR 121

-15.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.10 PKR 305

$1.25 PKR 346

-12.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 PKR 182

$1.32 PKR 365

-50.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 PKR 479

$2.42 PKR 670

-28.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.11 PKR 307

$1.84 PKR 509

-39.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 51.6

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.47 PKR 2,622

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-5.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 PKR 208

$0.92 PKR 256

-18.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.70 PKR 193

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 PKR 515

$2.16 PKR 597

-13.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 340

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.87%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

2.44%

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

$25.4K PKR 7.0M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-6.25%

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

$109 PKR 30.1K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-4.03%

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

$3.32 PKR 919

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-44.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.25 PKR 4,497

$13.16 PKR 3,642

23.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.04 PKR 2,225

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-62.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.24 PKR 2,281

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-54.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 PKR 1,172

$4.21 PKR 1,165

0.71%

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

$48.56 PKR 13.4K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,017 PKR 558.2K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

3.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.37 PKR 3,701

$17.55 PKR 4,858

-23.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.16 PKR 3,919

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-39.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 PKR 20.0K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$8.79 PKR 2,433

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

-78.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$118 PKR 32.7K

8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 PKR 66.5K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-32.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 PKR 39.0K

$188 PKR 52.0K

-24.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,027 PKR 284.2K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

-3.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$424 PKR 117.5K

$481 PKR 133.1K

-11.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

13.21

6.36%

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

Last update for Mianwali: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mianwali

$128 31%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 3.2% $4.1

Groceries & Markets

Mianwali

$82 19.8%

Karachi

$101 21% 23.1% $19

Accommodation & Living

Mianwali

$74 17.8%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 0.5% $0.4

Eating Out

Mianwali

$52 12.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 17.3% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Mianwali

$49 11.8%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 38.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Mianwali

$17 4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 81.5% $13

Getting Around

Mianwali

$13 3.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 20.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Mianwali and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $8.00 in Mianwali vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $82.0 vs $101 per month, with Mianwali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Mianwali

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

Same time as Mianwali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,883

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mianwali Karachi 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mianwali
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

Mianwali vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mianwali and Karachi differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($415 vs $482 including rent). Mianwali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $622 in Mianwali and $723 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $128 in Mianwali versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $415 per month in Mianwali versus $482 in Karachi – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mianwali runs roughly 5% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Mianwali 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 Mianwali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.