Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novosibirsk and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,092 in Novosibirsk, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,092

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,092 in Novosibirsk versus $490 in Karachi.

Novosibirsk $1,092
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,752 in Novosibirsk versus $755 in Karachi.

Novosibirsk $1,752
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,412 in Novosibirsk versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Novosibirsk $2,412
Karachi $1,019

Living in Novosibirsk is roughly 123% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Novosibirsk 18% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 ₽937

$2.15 PKR 596

412.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.05 ₽4,085

$13.37 PKR 3,700

259.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 ₽516

$5.29 PKR 1,464

14.74%

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

$2.72 ₽231

$2.11 PKR 583

28.91%

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

$1.11 ₽94.8

$0.37 PKR 103

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₽51.3

$0.28 PKR 78.2

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ₽103

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₽306

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₽98.8

$0.86 PKR 238

34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 ₽57.2

$0.52 PKR 144

28.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ₽119

$1.24 PKR 344

12.90%

Eggs

$1.59 ₽136

$1.24 PKR 342

28.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 ₽970

$5.86 PKR 1,622

94.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 ₽410

$3.12 PKR 862

54.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ₽982

$6.25 PKR 1,730

84.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ₽156

$1.29 PKR 356

42.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₽138

$0.54 PKR 150

200.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ₽165

$0.99 PKR 273

95.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 ₽276

$0.56 PKR 155

480.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 ₽66.3

$0.33 PKR 91.6

136.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₽48.85

$0.35 PKR 95.8

62.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 ₽123

$0.45 PKR 124

220.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽62.8

$0.44 PKR 121

68.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₽257

$1.79 PKR 497

68.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 ₽844

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₽138

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₽43.50

$0.28 PKR 76.5

82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.91 ₽2,458

$9.68 PKR 2,679

198.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₽203

$0.92 PKR 255

158.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ₽38.42

$0.71 PKR 196

-36.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 ₽493

$2.22 PKR 615

160.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₽68.4

$1.35 PKR 372

-40.74%

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

$23.7K ₽2.0M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

33.08%

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

$33.0K ₽2.8M

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

23.43%

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

$113 ₽9,616

$112 PKR 30.9K

1.16%

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

$6.97 ₽593

$6.05 PKR 1,673

15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.17 ₽695

$13.29 PKR 3,679

-38.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.68 ₽3,118

$21.51 PKR 5,954

70.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 ₽2,545

$17.80 PKR 4,927

68.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 ₽598

$4.42 PKR 1,222

59.05%

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

$299 ₽25.4K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

489.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 ₽5,701

$17.57 PKR 4,862

281.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.46 ₽3,865

$22.78 PKR 6,304

99.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₽11.7K

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

104.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 ₽8,233

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

136.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 ₽46.2K

$117 PKR 32.4K

363.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₽31.0K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

382.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 ₽82.1K

$365 PKR 101.1K

164.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ₽57.1K

$182 PKR 50.5K

268.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ₽193.2K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

115.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,721 ₽146.3K

$491 PKR 135.8K

250.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$890 ₽75.7K

$185 PKR 51.2K

381.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.83

13.21

72.82%

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

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 3, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novosibirsk

$365 33%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 79.3% $289

Groceries & Markets

Novosibirsk

$212 19.2%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 52.5% $111

Eating Out

Novosibirsk

$159 14.4%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 61.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Novosibirsk

$156 14.1%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 57.2% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novosibirsk

$128 11.6%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 2.3% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Novosibirsk

$51 4.6%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 40.2% $20

Getting Around

Novosibirsk

$36 3.2%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 57.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $544 in Novosibirsk and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novosibirsk pays 382% 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: $48.00 in Novosibirsk vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

2 h behind Novosibirsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,620,162

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Novosibirsk Karachi 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Novosibirsk
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

Novosibirsk vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk and Karachi differ by about 123% in total monthly costs ($1,092 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 382% higher in Novosibirsk, 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: $544 in Novosibirsk versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,092 per month in Novosibirsk versus $490 in Karachi – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 199% less than in Novosibirsk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,092 in Novosibirsk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Novosibirsk. 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 123% less than in Novosibirsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.