Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $792 in Palawan, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $792 in Palawan versus $482 in Karachi.

Palawan $792
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,230 in Palawan versus $750 in Karachi.

Palawan $1,230
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,668 in Palawan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Palawan $1,668
Karachi $1,018

Living in Palawan is roughly 64% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Palawan 41% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₱228

$2.13 PKR 588

69.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₱1,206

$13.30 PKR 3,678

43.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 ₱212

$5.45 PKR 1,507

-38.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,004

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₱166

$2.09 PKR 579

25.84%

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

$0.83 ₱52.5

$0.40 PKR 111

107.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.67

$0.26 PKR 71.1

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱136

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$0.92 PKR 254

106.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$0.56 PKR 156

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.25 PKR 345

-19.20%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱125

$1.23 PKR 341

60.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱494

$5.67 PKR 1,569

38.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$3.16 PKR 875

33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ₱490

$6.28 PKR 1,736

23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.26 PKR 348

138.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.3

$0.53 PKR 147

194.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₱172

$1.00 PKR 276

172.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$0.56 PKR 154

189.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$0.33 PKR 91.3

600.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱163

$0.34 PKR 95.1

661.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱67.0

$0.42 PKR 116

152.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.88

$0.44 PKR 121

61.36%

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)

$2.78 ₱175

$1.84 PKR 508

51.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 ₱431

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.82

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.29 ₱711

$9.99 PKR 2,763

13.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.5

$0.92 PKR 256

-9.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.21

$0.70 PKR 193

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$2.16 PKR 596

-0.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.3

$1.38 PKR 382

-20.29%

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

$26.5K ₱1.7M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

48.06%

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

$20.1K ₱1.3M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-25.93%

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

$114 ₱7,187

$113 PKR 31.4K

0.56%

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

$32.54 ₱2,050

$5.95 PKR 1,647

446.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.55 ₱1,735

$13.16 PKR 3,640

109.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 ₱2,172

$21.55 PKR 5,962

60.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 ₱275

$18.23 PKR 5,041

-76.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₱365

$4.21 PKR 1,164

37.77%

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

$150 ₱9,468

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

188.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,228 ₱266.3K

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

117.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 ₱2,840

$17.55 PKR 4,855

156.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.54 ₱1,672

$23.51 PKR 6,502

12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ₱4,715

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 ₱3,379

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

32.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.7K

$118 PKR 32.6K

124.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.1K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

140.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.1K

$357 PKR 98.9K

64.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.6K

$188 PKR 52.0K

107.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 ₱148.6K

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

122.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

$481 PKR 133.0K

106.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

13.21

-49.51%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$204 25.7%

Karachi

$101 21% 50.3% $102

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$177 22.4%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 58.4% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 23.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$90 11.4%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 24.8% $22

Eating Out

Palawan

$86 10.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 29.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 34.9% $16

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 7.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Palawan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Palawan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

00:49 12:49 AM

3 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palawan Karachi 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palawan and Karachi differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($792 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,187 in Palawan and $723 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $264 in Palawan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $792 per month in Palawan versus $482 in Karachi – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 13% less than in Palawan. 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.

Safety-wise, Palawan 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 64% less than in Palawan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.