Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,037 in Phnom Penh versus $490 in Karachi.

Phnom Penh $1,037
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in Phnom Penh versus $755 in Karachi.

Phnom Penh $1,654
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,271 in Phnom Penh versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Phnom Penh $2,271
Karachi $1,019

Living in Phnom Penh 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: Phnom Penh 23% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ៛16.5K

$2.15 PKR 596

89.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.62 ៛160.5K

$13.37 PKR 3,700

196.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ៛28.0K

$5.29 PKR 1,464

30.62%

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

$3.02 ៛12.2K

$2.11 PKR 583

43.13%

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

$1.87 ៛7,572

$0.37 PKR 103

405.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ៛2,484

$0.28 PKR 78.2

117.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ៛3,964

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ៛11.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ៛8,802

$0.86 PKR 238

152.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ៛6,506

$0.52 PKR 144

209.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,316

$1.24 PKR 344

-13.71%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,023

$1.24 PKR 342

39.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 ៛60.6K

$5.86 PKR 1,622

155.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ៛16.5K

$3.12 PKR 862

30.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ៛37.5K

$6.25 PKR 1,730

48.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 ៛15.7K

$1.29 PKR 356

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,879

$0.54 PKR 150

214.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 ៛17.4K

$0.99 PKR 273

334.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ៛8,646

$0.56 PKR 155

280.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,549

$0.33 PKR 91.6

390.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,172

$0.35 PKR 95.8

265.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,656

$0.45 PKR 124

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,099

$0.44 PKR 121

75.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,883

$1.79 PKR 497

8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 ៛45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,165

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,263

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ៛1,900

$0.28 PKR 76.5

67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ៛39.4K

$9.68 PKR 2,679

0.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,455

$0.92 PKR 255

19.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,954

$0.71 PKR 196

38.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 ៛20.9K

$2.22 PKR 615

131.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ៛5,484

$1.35 PKR 372

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

$35.5K ៛143.9M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

99.19%

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

$43.9K ៛177.6M

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

64.00%

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

$106 ៛431.3K

$112 PKR 30.9K

-4.75%

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

$7.39 ៛29.9K

$6.05 PKR 1,673

22.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.24 ៛102.2K

$13.29 PKR 3,679

89.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.80 ៛165.2K

$21.51 PKR 5,954

89.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 ៛44.3K

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-38.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.1K

$4.42 PKR 1,222

12.44%

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

$665 ៛2.7M

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1211.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.5M

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

461.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.67 ៛112.1K

$17.57 PKR 4,862

57.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.26 ៛98.2K

$22.78 PKR 6,304

6.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 ៛363.6K

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

32.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ៛239.3K

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

44.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ៛2.6M

$117 PKR 32.4K

444.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ៛1.5M

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

388.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ៛4.7M

$365 PKR 101.1K

214.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ៛3.3M

$182 PKR 50.5K

340.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,883 ៛11.7M

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

173.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,488 ៛6.0M

$491 PKR 135.8K

203.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$330 ៛1.3M

$185 PKR 51.2K

78.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

13.21

-38.91%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 79.5% $294

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 60% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 5.7% $8

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 44.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 25.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 40.2% $20

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 13.4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $639 in Phnom Penh and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phnom Penh pays 79% 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: $40.00 in Phnom Penh vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

2 h behind Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,050 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 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 KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Karachi 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
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

Phnom Penh vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phnom Penh and Karachi differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($1,037 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Phnom Penh, 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: $639 in Phnom Penh versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,037 per month in Phnom Penh versus $490 in Karachi – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 1% less than in Phnom Penh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,037 in Phnom Penh, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. 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, Phnom Penh 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 112% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.