Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $907 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$907

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Pasay versus $482 in Karachi.

Pasay $907
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,237 in Pasay versus $750 in Karachi.

Pasay $1,237
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,567 in Pasay versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Pasay $1,567
Karachi $1,018

Living in Pasay is roughly 88% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasay 33% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ₱277

$2.13 PKR 588

106.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 ₱1,193

$13.30 PKR 3,680

42.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-47.89%

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

$2.26 ₱142

$2.09 PKR 579

8.13%

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

$0.59 ₱37.36

$0.40 PKR 111

47.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.20

$0.26 PKR 71.1

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.3

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱108

$0.92 PKR 254

85.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$0.56 PKR 156

101.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.4

$1.25 PKR 345

-22.40%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱123

$1.23 PKR 341

59.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱324

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ₱260

$3.16 PKR 876

30.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱452

$6.28 PKR 1,737

14.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$1.26 PKR 348

77.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.4

$0.53 PKR 148

188.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$1.00 PKR 276

131.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$0.56 PKR 154

107.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 ₱149

$0.33 PKR 91.4

618.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₱211

$0.34 PKR 95.1

882.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$0.42 PKR 116

197.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$0.44 PKR 121

97.73%

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)

$2.88 ₱181

$1.84 PKR 509

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱483

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱61.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₱111

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₱10.43

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.72

$0.92 PKR 256

-16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.70 PKR 193

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$2.16 PKR 597

-13.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.1

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.14%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

20.21%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-28.96%

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

$139 ₱8,741

$113 PKR 31.4K

22.38%

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

$14.54 ₱916

$5.95 PKR 1,648

144.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.75 ₱1,558

$13.16 PKR 3,642

88.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.70 ₱3,003

$21.55 PKR 5,965

121.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$4.21 PKR 1,165

24.94%

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

$71.9 ₱4,524

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

37.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,541 ₱160.0K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

30.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.39 ₱2,228

$17.55 PKR 4,858

101.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.32 ₱1,217

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-17.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,505

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ₱4,004

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

56.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$118 PKR 32.7K

263.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

324.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 ₱52.1K

$357 PKR 98.9K

131.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₱22.9K

$188 PKR 52.0K

93.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,891 ₱119.0K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

78.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 ₱36.2K

$481 PKR 133.1K

19.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 ₱32.1K

$183 PKR 50.6K

178.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-47.01%

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

Last update for Pasay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$313 34.5%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 76.4% $239

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$186 20.6%

Karachi

$101 21% 45.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.7%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 25.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$85 9.4%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 20.7% $18

Eating Out

Pasay

$83 9.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 26.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$58 6.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 48.5% $28

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.5 * 0.3%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 526% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Pasay and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays 179% 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: $19.00 in Pasay vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

3 h behind Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

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 = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pasay Karachi 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasay
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

Pasay vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pasay and Karachi differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($907 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 179% higher in Pasay, 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: $429 in Pasay versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Pasay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $907 per month in Pasay versus $482 in Karachi – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Pasay 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 88% less than in Pasay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.