Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $794 in Miaoli, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $794 in Miaoli versus $490 in Karachi.

Miaoli $794
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,109 in Miaoli versus $755 in Karachi.

Miaoli $1,109
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,425 in Miaoli versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Miaoli $1,425
Karachi $1,019

Living in Miaoli is roughly 62% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Miaoli 41% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.46 NT$78.6

$2.15 PKR 596

14.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 NT$756

$13.37 PKR 3,700

77.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$150

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-11.34%

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

$3.01 NT$96.1

$2.11 PKR 583

42.65%

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

$0.86 NT$27.33

$0.37 PKR 103

132.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$16.97

$0.28 PKR 78.2

89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 NT$39.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$43.36

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 NT$86.0

$0.86 PKR 238

212.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NT$39.79

$0.52 PKR 144

140.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.7

$1.24 PKR 344

119.35%

Eggs

$2.21 NT$70.5

$1.24 PKR 342

78.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 NT$295

$5.86 PKR 1,622

57.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.54 NT$241

$3.12 PKR 862

141.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 NT$697

$6.25 PKR 1,731

249.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$119

$1.29 PKR 356

189.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NT$63.2

$0.54 PKR 150

266.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$97.3

$0.99 PKR 273

208.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$0.56 PKR 155

451.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$78.9

$0.33 PKR 91.6

648.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NT$65.2

$0.35 PKR 95.9

482.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$73.5

$0.45 PKR 124

411.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$27.78

$0.44 PKR 121

97.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 NT$129

$1.79 PKR 497

126.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 NT$351

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NT$47.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NT$66.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 NT$92.6

$0.92 PKR 255

215.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.97

$0.71 PKR 196

5.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 NT$225

$2.22 PKR 615

217.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.92

$1.35 PKR 372

-23.70%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

86.53%

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

$23.8K NT$758.4K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-11.12%

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

$69.0 NT$2,201

$112 PKR 30.9K

-38.31%

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

$18.41 NT$587

$6.05 PKR 1,673

204.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 NT$713

$13.29 PKR 3,679

68.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NT$350

$4.42 PKR 1,222

148.19%

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

$517 NT$16.5K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

919.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K NT$1.0M

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

1522.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.55 NT$400

$17.57 PKR 4,862

-28.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.14 NT$802

$22.78 PKR 6,304

10.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 NT$2,036

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 NT$3,172

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

142.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$6,917

$117 PKR 32.5K

84.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,030

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

108.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,500 NT$79.8K

$185 PKR 51.2K

1252.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

13.21

-81.98%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$313 39.9%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 67.8% $212

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.1%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 52% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$110 14%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 19.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$90 11.5%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 25.9% $23

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.8%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 27.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 38.4% $8.4

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 129% $8.6

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 $217 in Miaoli and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 1253% 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: $24.00 in Miaoli vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

21:45 9:45 PM

3 h behind Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

14,910,352

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Miaoli Karachi 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
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

Miaoli vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miaoli and Karachi differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($794 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1253% higher in Miaoli, 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: $217 in Miaoli versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 211% higher in Miaoli. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $794 per month in Miaoli versus $490 in Karachi – a 62% 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, Miaoli 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 62% less than in Miaoli. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.