Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakistan and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $483 a month against $1,596 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
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Pakistan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

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🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pakistan and in South Korea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pakistan and in South Korea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Pakistan versus $1,596 in South Korea.

Pakistan $483
South Korea $1,596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $736 in Pakistan versus $2,542 in South Korea.

Pakistan $736
South Korea $2,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $988 in Pakistan versus $3,487 in South Korea.

Pakistan $988
South Korea $3,487

Internal cost variation is higher in South Korea: monthly costs span $1,044 to $1,848, compared to $291–$607 in Pakistan. City choice carries more weight in South Korea.

Living in Pakistan costs about 70% less than in South Korea on average.

Pakistan (65% below) and South Korea (17% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 582

$7.44 ₩9,875

-71.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.97 PKR 3,863

$44.54 ₩59.1K

-68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 PKR 1,522

$6.51 ₩8,641

-15.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 PKR 615

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 PKR 1,192

Cappuccino

$1.97 PKR 545

$3.83 ₩5,081

-48.56%

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

$0.38 PKR 105

$1.59 ₩2,112

-76.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.6

$0.78 ₩1,033

-70.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₩5,091

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,869

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 PKR 239

$2.20 ₩2,919

-60.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 PKR 165

$2.96 ₩3,930

-79.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 334

$3.54 ₩4,692

-65.82%

Eggs

$1.21 PKR 333

$3.22 ₩4,269

-62.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 PKR 1,499

$13.36 ₩17.7K

-59.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.83 PKR 782

$8.89 ₩11.8K

-68.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.06 PKR 1,399

$26.17 ₩34.7K

-80.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$8.49 ₩11.3K

-85.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 PKR 176

$3.39 ₩4,493

-81.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$6.42 ₩8,513

-86.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 148

$5.87 ₩7,792

-90.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.8

$3.89 ₩5,164

-91.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 108

$2.84 ₩3,772

-86.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 PKR 104

$2.69 ₩3,567

-86.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 PKR 113

$1.15 ₩1,532

-64.35%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.08 PKR 574

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 296

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 PKR 652

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 PKR 593

$3.42 ₩4,542

-37.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.56 ₩22.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₩2,820

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₩3,859

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.0

$1.10 ₩1,456

-81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.01 PKR 2,767

$48.35 ₩64.2K

-79.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 243

$3.52 ₩4,665

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.65 ₩866

-13.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 613

$9.13 ₩12.1K

-75.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 PKR 357

$1.38 ₩1,832

-6.52%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$30.3K ₩40.1M

-41.26%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$30.0K ₩39.8M

-18.84%

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

$110 PKR 30.5K

$210 ₩278.3K

-47.41%

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

$5.41 PKR 1,495

$40.27 ₩53.4K

-86.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.79 PKR 4,366

$24.18 ₩32.1K

-34.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.50 PKR 5,115

$53.8 ₩71.4K

-65.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.09 PKR 3,065

$16.81 ₩22.3K

-34.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PKR 1,194

$11.50 ₩15.3K

-62.43%

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

$56.4 PKR 15.6K

$985 ₩1.3M

-94.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,511 PKR 417.9K

$23.7K ₩31.4M

-93.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.56 PKR 4,856

$58.9 ₩78.2K

-70.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.58 PKR 6,518

$45.48 ₩60.3K

-48.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 PKR 21.2K

$78.3 ₩103.9K

-2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.08 PKR 9,699

$97.7 ₩129.6K

-64.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$150 PKR 41.5K

$645 ₩855.8K

-76.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.4 PKR 24.2K

$446 ₩591.6K

-80.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$320 PKR 88.6K

$1,711 ₩2.3M

-81.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 PKR 52.5K

$999 ₩1.3M

-80.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 PKR 268.3K

$15.8K ₩20.9M

-93.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$520 PKR 143.9K

$8,299 ₩11.0M

-93.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$192 PKR 53.1K

$2,345 ₩3.1M

-91.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.1

4.23

233.33%

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

Last update for Pakistan: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakistan

$131 27.2%

South Korea

$274 17.2% 109% $143

Groceries & Markets

Pakistan

$94 19.5%

South Korea

$451 28.3% 380% $357

Accommodation & Living

Pakistan

$87 18.1%

South Korea

$446 27.9% 410% $358

Clothing & Footwear

Pakistan

$69 14.3%

South Korea

$126 7.9% 83.4% $57

Eating Out

Pakistan

$59 12.3%

South Korea

$163 10.2% 173% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Pakistan

$27 5.6%

South Korea

$77 4.8% 183% $50

Getting Around

Pakistan

$14 3%

South Korea

$60 3.7% 311% $45

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $137 in Pakistan, $493 in South Korea. Capital cities: $261 in Islamabad vs $924 in Seoul.

National salary averages: $185 in Pakistan, $2,148 in South Korea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 260% higher in South Korea.

Dining out costs 223% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 380% more expensive in South Korea.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

4 h ahead of Pakistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,773,700

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pakistan South Korea 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Pakistan
South Korea

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

Pakistan vs South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $483 per month in Pakistan and $1,596 in South Korea, there’s a 231% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Pakistan: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $493 in South Korea and $137 in Pakistan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Pakistan wins on affordability; South Korea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.