Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hedland and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $2,594 in Port Hedland, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Hedland
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Port Hedland Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Port Hedland

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,594

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Port Hedland versus $482 in Karachi.

Port Hedland $2,594
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,652 in Port Hedland versus $750 in Karachi.

Port Hedland $3,652
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,709 in Port Hedland versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Port Hedland $4,709
Karachi $1,018

Living in Port Hedland is roughly 439% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Hedland is 92% above, Karachi is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.23 A$24.80

$2.13 PKR 588

708.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$122

$13.30 PKR 3,680

539.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 A$16.33

$5.45 PKR 1,508

108.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$3.86 A$5.56

$2.09 PKR 579

84.69%

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

$2.74 A$3.94

$0.40 PKR 111

585.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.03

$0.26 PKR 71.1

707.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.32

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$0.92 PKR 254

63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 A$4.38

$0.56 PKR 156

444.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.94

$1.25 PKR 345

63.20%

Eggs

$4.13 A$5.94

$1.23 PKR 341

235.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.78

$5.67 PKR 1,570

68.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 A$14.91

$3.16 PKR 876

227.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 A$18.57

$6.28 PKR 1,737

105.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.47

$1.26 PKR 348

201.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$0.53 PKR 148

398.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.67

$1.00 PKR 276

225.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 A$7.31

$0.56 PKR 154

807.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 A$4.27

$0.33 PKR 91.4

800.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.12

$0.34 PKR 95.1

538.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 A$3.14

$0.42 PKR 116

419.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.44 PKR 121

259.09%

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)

$40.75 A$58.6

$1.84 PKR 509

2114.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 A$20.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 A$8.42

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 A$4.26

$0.28 PKR 77.0

957.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.7 A$110

$9.99 PKR 2,764

667.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 A$5.33

$0.92 PKR 256

303.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 A$2.21

$0.70 PKR 193

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.67 A$52.8

$2.16 PKR 597

1597.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.38 PKR 382

-4.35%

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

$23.8K A$34.3K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

32.98%

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

$32.9K A$47.3K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

21.37%

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

$191 A$275

$113 PKR 31.4K

68.69%

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

$26.00 A$37.41

$5.95 PKR 1,648

336.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 A$82.9

$13.16 PKR 3,642

337.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 A$73.8

$21.55 PKR 5,965

137.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$25.30

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-3.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 A$22.68

$4.21 PKR 1,165

274.35%

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

$2,173 A$3,126

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

4066.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K A$25.0K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

794.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 A$108

$17.55 PKR 4,858

325.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.0 A$86.3

$23.51 PKR 6,506

155.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

51.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 A$168

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

187.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 A$1,977

$118 PKR 32.7K

1064.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 A$1,899

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

1692.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 A$3,080

$357 PKR 98.9K

498.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 A$2,634

$188 PKR 52.0K

874.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,259 A$9,007

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

490.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,371 A$6,291

$481 PKR 133.1K

809.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,111 A$7,355

$183 PKR 50.6K

2694.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

13.21

-55.79%

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

Last update for Port Hedland: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Hedland

$1.3K 50.9%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 94.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Port Hedland

$366 14.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 72.4% $265

Eating Out

Port Hedland

$291 11.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 79% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hedland

$275 10.6%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 51.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hedland

$160 6.2%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 57.6% $92

Getting Around

Port Hedland

$100 3.9%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 84.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hedland

$83 3.2%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 63.8% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,374 in Port Hedland and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Hedland pays 2694% 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: $85.0 in Port Hedland vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Hedland

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

3 h behind Port Hedland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,298

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Hedland Karachi 7,500 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Hedland
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

Port Hedland vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Hedland and Karachi differ by about 439% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2694% higher in Port Hedland, 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: $1,374 in Port Hedland versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,594 per month in Port Hedland versus $482 in Karachi – a 439% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 668% less than in Port Hedland. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $2,594 in Port Hedland, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Port Hedland. 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, Port Hedland 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 439% less than in Port Hedland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.