Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peshawar and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Peshawar: $437 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Peshawar
Learn more

Peshawar Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Peshawar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$437

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $437 in Peshawar versus $482 in Karachi.

Peshawar $437
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $629 in Peshawar versus $750 in Karachi.

Peshawar $629
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $821 in Peshawar versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Peshawar $821
Karachi $1,018

Living in Peshawar costs roughly 9% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Peshawar 68% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 PKR 663

$2.13 PKR 588

12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.79 PKR 2,432

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-33.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 PKR 1,460

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-3.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 PKR 814

$7.24 PKR 2,005

-59.39%

Cappuccino

$2.61 PKR 722

$2.09 PKR 579

24.88%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.8

$0.40 PKR 111

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 PKR 270

$0.92 PKR 254

6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 PKR 212

$0.56 PKR 156

35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.25 PKR 345

-16.00%

Eggs

$1.06 PKR 294

$1.23 PKR 341

-13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.51 PKR 972

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-38.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 PKR 840

$3.16 PKR 876

-3.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.80 PKR 1,051

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-39.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.26 PKR 348

-6.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.53 PKR 148

3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 PKR 161

$1.00 PKR 276

-42.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.56 PKR 154

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.3

$0.33 PKR 91.4

-12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 92.4

$0.34 PKR 95.1

-2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$0.42 PKR 116

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 PKR 75.1

$0.44 PKR 121

-38.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.02 PKR 558

$1.25 PKR 346

61.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.32 PKR 365

-46.21%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 PKR 205

$2.42 PKR 670

-69.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$1.84 PKR 509

-3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.53 PKR 3,467

$9.99 PKR 2,764

25.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 PKR 295

$0.92 PKR 256

15.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.70 PKR 193

-1.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 PKR 405

$2.16 PKR 597

-32.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.38 PKR 382

-12.32%

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

$22.2K PKR 6.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

23.84%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-11.46%

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

$100 PKR 27.8K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-11.55%

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

$6.11 PKR 1,691

$5.95 PKR 1,648

2.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 PKR 3,935

$13.16 PKR 3,642

8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.46 PKR 4,280

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-28.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.15 PKR 1,701

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-66.26%

Cinema Ticket

$2.01 PKR 557

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-52.26%

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

$46.31 PKR 12.8K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-11.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,106 PKR 1.4M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

163.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.09 PKR 1,962

$17.55 PKR 4,858

-59.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.28 PKR 4,507

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-30.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.87 PKR 13.8K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.01 PKR 11.1K

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

-1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$127 PKR 35.2K

$118 PKR 32.7K

7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.2 PKR 21.1K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

3.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 PKR 55.8K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-43.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$188 PKR 52.0K

-37.07%

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)

$147 PKR 40.6K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-19.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-16.73%

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

Last update for Peshawar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Peshawar

$121 27.6%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 9.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Peshawar

$83 19.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 21.6% $18

Accommodation & Living

Peshawar

$76 17.4%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 3.3% $2.5

Eating Out

Peshawar

$69 15.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 10.8% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Peshawar

$51 11.7%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 32.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Peshawar

$19 4.5%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 53.8% $10

Getting Around

Peshawar

$18 4.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 13.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $127 in Peshawar and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 25% 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: $9.00 in Peshawar vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $83.0 vs $101 per month, with Peshawar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Peshawar

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

Same time as Peshawar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,970,042

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Peshawar Karachi 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Peshawar
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

Peshawar vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Peshawar and Karachi differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($437 vs $482 including rent). Peshawar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Karachi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $127 in Peshawar versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $437 per month in Peshawar versus $482 in Karachi – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Peshawar runs roughly 25% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Peshawar 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.

Expats usually find Peshawar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.