Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,056 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,056

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Pattaya versus $490 in Karachi.

Pattaya $1,056
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,644 in Pattaya versus $755 in Karachi.

Pattaya $1,644
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,233 in Pattaya versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Pattaya $2,233
Karachi $1,019

Living in Pattaya is roughly 116% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pattaya 21% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ฿123

$2.15 PKR 596

70.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.02 ฿1,206

$13.37 PKR 3,700

169.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 ฿305

$5.29 PKR 1,464

72.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.10 ฿70.4

$2.11 PKR 583

-0.47%

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

$0.72 ฿24.26

$0.37 PKR 103

94.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.89

$0.28 PKR 78.2

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 ฿81.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿90.1

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.9

$0.86 PKR 238

101.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ฿47.51

$0.52 PKR 144

173.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.44

$1.24 PKR 344

9.68%

Eggs

$2.11 ฿70.6

$1.24 PKR 342

70.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.64 ฿524

$5.86 PKR 1,622

166.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ฿89.0

$3.12 PKR 862

-14.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 ฿335

$6.25 PKR 1,731

59.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$1.29 PKR 356

163.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.80

$0.54 PKR 150

125.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ฿61.7

$0.99 PKR 273

85.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ฿63.3

$0.56 PKR 155

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.86

$0.33 PKR 91.6

260.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.05

$0.35 PKR 95.9

208.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.59

$0.45 PKR 124

182.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.70

$0.44 PKR 121

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ฿145

$1.79 PKR 497

142.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.90 ฿599

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿99.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.32

$0.28 PKR 76.5

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.51 ฿653

$9.68 PKR 2,679

101.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ฿43.80

$0.92 PKR 255

42.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.71 PKR 196

52.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ฿117

$2.22 PKR 615

57.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.35 PKR 372

5.93%

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

$46.3K ฿1.6M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

159.79%

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

$26.6K ฿890.4K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-0.54%

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

$92.8 ฿3,106

$112 PKR 30.9K

-17.01%

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

$11.58 ฿388

$6.05 PKR 1,673

91.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.30 ฿646

$13.29 PKR 3,679

45.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.02 ฿1,407

$21.51 PKR 5,954

95.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.44 ฿684

$17.80 PKR 4,927

14.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ฿255

$4.42 PKR 1,222

72.62%

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

$622 ฿20.8K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1125.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ฿487.0K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

643.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ฿1,725

$17.57 PKR 4,862

193.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.67 ฿993

$22.78 PKR 6,304

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,216

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

42.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ฿2,490

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

81.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 ฿19.4K

$117 PKR 32.5K

393.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ฿12.6K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

396.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 ฿49.1K

$365 PKR 101.1K

301.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 ฿25.0K

$182 PKR 50.5K

309.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,538 ฿85.0K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

140.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,423 ฿47.6K

$491 PKR 135.8K

190.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$455 ฿15.2K

$185 PKR 51.2K

145.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

13.21

-54.88%

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

Last update for Pattaya: October 3, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$376 36%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 79.9% $300

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$243 23.3%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 58.5% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 11.8%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 6% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$113 10.8%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 40.8% $46

Eating Out

Pattaya

$104 9.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 41.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 47% $27

Getting Around

Pattaya

$29 2.7%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 46.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Pattaya and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pattaya pays 146% 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: $36.00 in Pattaya vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

2 h behind Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pattaya Karachi 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Pattaya
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

Pattaya vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pattaya and Karachi differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($1,056 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% higher in Pattaya, 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: $579 in Pattaya versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,056 per month in Pattaya versus $490 in Karachi – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 102% less than in Pattaya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,056 in Pattaya, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Pattaya. 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.

Safety-wise, Pattaya 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 116% less than in Pattaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.