Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novokuznetsk and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
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Novokuznetsk Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,382

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,382 in Novokuznetsk versus $482 in Karachi.

Novokuznetsk $1,382
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,238 in Novokuznetsk versus $750 in Karachi.

Novokuznetsk $2,238
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,093 in Novokuznetsk versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Novokuznetsk $3,093
Karachi $1,018

Living in Novokuznetsk is roughly 187% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novokuznetsk is 2% above, Karachi is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.84 ₽988

$2.13 PKR 588

455.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.7 ₽4,901

$13.30 PKR 3,680

341.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₽559

$5.45 PKR 1,508

22.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₽209

$2.09 PKR 579

20.10%

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

$2.04 ₽170

$0.40 PKR 111

410.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₽95.4

$0.26 PKR 71.1

338.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ₽342

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 ₽486

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 ₽117

$0.92 PKR 254

53.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 ₽67.4

$0.56 PKR 156

44.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ₽114

$1.25 PKR 345

9.60%

Eggs

$1.57 ₽131

$1.23 PKR 341

27.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 ₽715

$5.67 PKR 1,570

51.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 ₽576

$3.16 PKR 876

118.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 ₽780

$6.28 PKR 1,737

48.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₽167

$1.26 PKR 348

58.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ₽189

$0.53 PKR 148

326.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₽193

$1.00 PKR 276

132.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 ₽334

$0.56 PKR 154

614.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₽72.9

$0.33 PKR 91.4

163.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₽49.07

$0.34 PKR 95.1

73.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 ₽121

$0.42 PKR 116

245.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₽56.3

$0.44 PKR 121

52.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ₽305

$1.84 PKR 509

98.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ₽493

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₽150

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₽222

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽47.78

$0.28 PKR 77.0

103.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.95 ₽2,500

$9.99 PKR 2,764

199.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ₽145

$0.92 PKR 256

89.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₽48.43

$0.70 PKR 193

-17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₽68.1

$1.38 PKR 382

-40.58%

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

$32.5K ₽2.7M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

81.80%

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

$33.8K ₽2.8M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

24.99%

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

$221 ₽18.4K

$113 PKR 31.4K

94.85%

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

$4.98 ₽415

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-16.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.36 ₽531

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-51.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 ₽4,225

$21.55 PKR 5,965

134.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.86 ₽2,325

$18.23 PKR 5,044

52.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ₽611

$4.21 PKR 1,165

73.87%

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

$673 ₽56.2K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

1190.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

797.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 ₽11.7K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

699.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.2 ₽7,029

$23.51 PKR 6,506

258.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 ₽15.1K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

162.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$364 ₽30.4K

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

797.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₽37.7K

$118 PKR 32.7K

283.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₽24.4K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

297.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₽79.7K

$357 PKR 98.9K

167.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 ₽56.0K

$188 PKR 52.0K

256.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,205 ₽184.1K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

108.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,479 ₽123.4K

$481 PKR 133.1K

207.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 ₽46.9K

$183 PKR 50.6K

206.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.75

13.21

72.22%

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

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Novokuznetsk

$346 25.1%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 80.4% $279

Accommodation & Living

Novokuznetsk

$293 21.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 74.9% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novokuznetsk

$232 16.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 43% $100

Groceries & Markets

Novokuznetsk

$219 15.8%

Karachi

$101 21% 53.7% $118

Eating Out

Novokuznetsk

$190 13.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 67.8% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Novokuznetsk

$65 4.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 54.1% $35

Getting Around

Novokuznetsk

$37 2.7%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 57.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $452 in Novokuznetsk and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novokuznetsk pays 207% 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: $59.0 in Novokuznetsk vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

13:44 1:44 PM

2 h behind Novokuznetsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

544,583

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

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Between locations

Novokuznetsk Karachi 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Novokuznetsk
Karachi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Novokuznetsk vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novokuznetsk and Karachi differ by about 187% in total monthly costs ($1,382 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 207% higher in Novokuznetsk, 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: $452 in Novokuznetsk versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,382 per month in Novokuznetsk versus $482 in Karachi – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 200% less than in Novokuznetsk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Novokuznetsk. 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 187% less than in Novokuznetsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.