Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pathein and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,021 in Pathein, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Pathein
Learn more

Pathein Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,021

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Pathein versus $482 in Karachi.

Pathein $1,021
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,830 in Pathein versus $750 in Karachi.

Pathein $1,830
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,639 in Pathein versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Pathein $2,639
Karachi $1,018

Living in Pathein is roughly 112% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pathein 24% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.48 MMK 3,095

$2.13 PKR 588

-30.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 MMK 41.4K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

48.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 MMK 16.7K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

46.24%

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

$1.47 MMK 3,082

$2.09 PKR 579

-29.67%

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

$0.52 MMK 1,098

$0.40 PKR 111

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MMK 1,078

$0.26 PKR 71.1

96.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 MMK 3,108

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MMK 2,048

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 MMK 3,047

$0.56 PKR 156

160.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 MMK 6,249

$1.25 PKR 345

138.40%

Eggs

$2.47 MMK 5,165

$1.23 PKR 341

100.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$40.74 MMK 85.3K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

618.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.92 MMK 12.4K

$3.16 PKR 876

87.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.06 MMK 16.9K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

28.34%

Apples (1kg)

$10.02 MMK 21.0K

$1.26 PKR 348

695.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

Oranges (1kg)

$10.08 MMK 21.1K

$1.00 PKR 276

908.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 MMK 10.3K

$0.56 PKR 154

776.79%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 MMK 8,530

$0.33 PKR 91.4

1133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MMK 4,217

$0.34 PKR 95.1

491.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 MMK 1,098

$0.42 PKR 116

23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

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)

$2.95 MMK 6,185

$1.84 PKR 509

60.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.03 MMK 41.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 MMK 3,094

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MMK 4,152

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 MMK 2,145

$0.70 PKR 193

45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 MMK 6,222

$2.16 PKR 597

37.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 MMK 4,161

$1.38 PKR 382

44.20%

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

$32.5K MMK 68.0M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

81.55%

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

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

15.95%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

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

$20.30 MMK 42.5K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

241.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.18 MMK 21.3K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-22.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$151 MMK 316.3K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

601.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$2.05 MMK 4,298

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-51.31%

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

$396 MMK 829.8K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

660.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,748 MMK 9.9M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

144.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.34 MMK 42.6K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

15.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.75 MMK 30.9K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-37.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.03 MMK 102.7K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-28.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 MMK 125.8K

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 MMK 840.1K

$118 PKR 32.7K

240.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 MMK 631.0K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

309.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 MMK 2.3M

$357 PKR 98.9K

204.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 MMK 2.1M

$188 PKR 52.0K

423.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

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

Last update for Pathein: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pathein

$397 * 38.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 74.5% $296

Accommodation & Living

Pathein

$301 29.5%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 75.6% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Pathein

$155 15.2%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 80.7% $125

Eating Out

Pathein

$67 6.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 8.7% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Pathein

$65 6.4%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 4.4% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pathein

$30 * 3%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 335% $102

Getting Around

Pathein

$5.1 * 0.5%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 203% $10

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 $401 in Pathein and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20.00 in Pathein vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇲 Pathein

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h 30 min behind Pathein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,600

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MMK – Myanmar Kyat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇲 Myanmar Kyat (K)

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,354 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to MMK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pathein Karachi 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pathein
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

Pathein vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pathein and Karachi differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,021 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 $1,532 in Pathein 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: $401 in Pathein versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 292% higher in Pathein. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,021 per month in Pathein versus $482 in Karachi – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,021 in Pathein, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Pathein. 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 112% less than in Pathein. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.