Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Multan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $529 in Multan, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Multan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

25

Cost of Living Index in Multan
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Multan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Multan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$529

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $529 in Multan versus $482 in Karachi.

Multan $529
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $746 in Multan versus $750 in Karachi.

Multan $746
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $964 in Multan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Multan $964
Karachi $1,018

Living in Multan is roughly 10% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Multan 61% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.52 PKR 696

$2.13 PKR 588

18.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.96 PKR 3,033

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-17.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-2.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 PKR 770

$2.19 PKR 607

26.94%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 PKR 1,482

$7.24 PKR 2,005

-26.10%

Cappuccino

$1.84 PKR 510

$2.09 PKR 579

-11.96%

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

$0.30 PKR 83.2

$0.40 PKR 111

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 PKR 45.20

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-38.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 PKR 188

$0.92 PKR 254

-26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.56 PKR 156

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 PKR 294

$1.25 PKR 345

-15.20%

Eggs

$1.13 PKR 314

$1.23 PKR 341

-8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 PKR 1,840

$5.67 PKR 1,570

17.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 PKR 697

$3.16 PKR 876

-20.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.63 PKR 1,280

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-26.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 PKR 266

$1.26 PKR 348

-23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.50 PKR 138

$0.53 PKR 148

-5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.00 PKR 276

-29.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 PKR 169

$0.56 PKR 154

8.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 109

$0.33 PKR 91.4

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.34 PKR 95.1

26.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 PKR 138

$0.42 PKR 116

19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 PKR 104

$0.44 PKR 121

-15.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.88 PKR 521

$1.25 PKR 346

50.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 PKR 785

$2.42 PKR 670

17.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 PKR 594

$1.84 PKR 509

16.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.0

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.28 PKR 2,016

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-27.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 PKR 402

$0.92 PKR 256

57.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 96.6

$0.70 PKR 193

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 245

$2.16 PKR 597

-59.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.38 PKR 382

-17.39%

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

$25.0K PKR 6.9M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

39.60%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

0.25%

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

$147 PKR 40.7K

$113 PKR 31.4K

29.59%

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

$4.87 PKR 1,347

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-18.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.22 PKR 5,320

$13.16 PKR 3,642

46.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.43 PKR 6,761

$21.55 PKR 5,965

13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.55 PKR 981

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-80.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,177

$4.21 PKR 1,165

0.95%

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

$43.24 PKR 12.0K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-17.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$999 PKR 276.6K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

-48.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.83 PKR 4,935

$17.55 PKR 4,858

1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.67 PKR 5,167

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 PKR 26.1K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

36.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 PKR 7,165

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 PKR 40.3K

$118 PKR 32.7K

23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

27.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 PKR 60.8K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 PKR 41.5K

$188 PKR 52.0K

-20.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.5K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-0.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-1.59%

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

Last update for Multan: 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

Multan

$171 32.4%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 22.5% $39

Accommodation & Living

Multan

$94 17.7%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 21.3% $20

Groceries & Markets

Multan

$89 16.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 13.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Multan

$70 13.3%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 3.9% $2.8

Eating Out

Multan

$60 11.3%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 1.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Multan

$33 6.2%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 9% $3

Getting Around

Multan

$11 2.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 38% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $146 in Multan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Multan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $89.0 vs $101 per month, with Multan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Multan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

Same time as Multan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,871,843

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

Multan Karachi 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Multan
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

Multan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Multan and Karachi differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($529 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Karachi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $146 in Multan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $529 per month in Multan versus $482 in Karachi – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 37% less than in Multan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Multan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.