Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pathum Thani and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $785 in Pathum Thani, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Pathum Thani
🇹🇭 Thailand
$785
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $785 in Pathum Thani versus $482 in Karachi.

  • Pathum Thani $785
  • Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Pathum Thani versus $750 in Karachi.

  • Pathum Thani $1,329
  • Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,873 in Pathum Thani versus $1,018 in Karachi.

  • Pathum Thani $1,873
  • Karachi $1,018

Living in Pathum Thani is roughly 63% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pathum Thani 42% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.79 ฿59.9
$2.13 PKR 588
-15.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.25 ฿744
$13.30 PKR 3,678
67.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.90 ฿197
$5.45 PKR 1,507
8.26%
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
$1.73 ฿58.0
$2.09 PKR 579
-17.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ฿14.03
$0.40 PKR 111
5.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 ฿6.05
$0.26 PKR 71.1
-30.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 ฿57.7
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 ฿71.3
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.07
$0.92 PKR 254
59.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ฿44.22
$0.56 PKR 156
135.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 ฿41.03
$1.25 PKR 345
-1.60%
Eggs
$1.80 ฿60.2
$1.23 PKR 341
46.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ฿418
$5.67 PKR 1,569
120.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 ฿81.1
$3.16 PKR 875
-23.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.06 ฿403
$6.28 PKR 1,736
92.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 ฿120
$1.26 PKR 348
185.71%
Banana (1kg)
$0.96 ฿31.93
$0.53 PKR 147
81.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 ฿83.3
$1.00 PKR 276
149.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 ฿52.8
$0.56 PKR 154
182.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 ฿66.0
$0.33 PKR 91.3
496.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.74
$0.34 PKR 95.1
205.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 ฿25.70
$0.42 PKR 116
83.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ฿14.85
$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)
$4.53 ฿151
$1.84 PKR 508
146.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.87 ฿464
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 ฿50.3
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ฿55.6
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 ฿20.07
$0.28 PKR 77.0
114.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.99 PKR 2,763
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.06 ฿35.28
$0.92 PKR 256
15.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$0.70 PKR 193
118.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.76 ฿293
$2.16 PKR 596
305.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ฿38.69
$1.38 PKR 382
-15.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.5K ฿585.7K
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
-2.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K ฿797.8K
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
-11.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.3 ฿2,751
$113 PKR 31.4K
-27.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.23 ฿309
$5.95 PKR 1,647
55.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.22 ฿341
$13.16 PKR 3,640
-22.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.61 ฿990
$21.55 PKR 5,962
37.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.23 PKR 5,041
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.63 ฿222
$4.21 PKR 1,164
57.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$196 ฿6,543
$52.2 PKR 14.4K
275.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ฿357.5K
$1,940 PKR 536.7K
451.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$5.91 ฿198
$17.55 PKR 4,855
-66.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.81 ฿1,197
$23.51 PKR 6,502
52.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 ฿2,388
$68.9 PKR 19.1K
3.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.8 ฿1,765
$40.59 PKR 11.2K
30.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 ฿15.1K
$118 PKR 32.6K
283.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$263 ฿8,805
$73.6 PKR 20.4K
257.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,476 ฿49.3K
$357 PKR 98.9K
313.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$738 ฿24.6K
$188 PKR 52.0K
292.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,477 ฿149.6K
$1,060 PKR 293.2K
322.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,199 ฿73.5K
$481 PKR 133.0K
357.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pathum Thani
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 ฿13.2K
$183 PKR 50.6K
116.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
13.21
-69.72%

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

Last update for Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pathum Thani
$263
Karachi
$74 72.1% $190
Groceries & Markets
Pathum Thani
$223
Karachi
$101 54.5% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pathum Thani
$102
Karachi
$133 30.3% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Pathum Thani
$75
Karachi
$68 9.3% $7
Eating Out
Pathum Thani
$68
Karachi
$61 10.3% $7.1
Sport & Entertainment
Pathum Thani
$43
Karachi
$30 30.1% $13
Getting Around
Pathum Thani
$11 *
Karachi
$16 39.8% $4.4

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 $453 in Pathum Thani and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pathum Thani pays 116% 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: $22.00 in Pathum Thani vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Pathum Thani
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
02:56 2:56 AM
00:56 12:56 AM
2 h behind Pathum Thani
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,320
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pathum Thani Karachi 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pathum Thani
  • 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
Pathum Thani vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Pathum Thani and in Karachi?
Pathum Thani and Karachi differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($785 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Pathum Thani or Karachi?
Average pay runs 116% higher in Pathum Thani, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Pathum Thani and in Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $453 in Pathum Thani versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Pathum Thani. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Pathum Thani or Karachi?
All in, you'll spend $785 per month in Pathum Thani versus $482 in Karachi – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How far does $1,200 go in Pathum Thani compared to Karachi?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Pathum Thani and Karachi?
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.
Is Pathum Thani or Karachi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Pathum Thani 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.
Where should expats move: Pathum Thani or Karachi?
Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Pathum Thani. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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