Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetta and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $495 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $415 in Quetta versus $495 in Karachi.

Quetta $415
Karachi $495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $620 in Quetta versus $770 in Karachi.

Quetta $620
Karachi $770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $826 in Quetta versus $1,046 in Karachi.

Quetta $826
Karachi $1,046

Living in Quetta costs roughly 16% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quetta 70% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 PKR 971

$2.21 PKR 610

58.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.77 PKR 2,980

$12.87 PKR 3,562

-16.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 PKR 1,270

$5.27 PKR 1,459

-12.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 PKR 515

$2.16 PKR 598

-13.89%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 PKR 1,431

$7.36 PKR 2,036

-29.76%

Cappuccino

$1.65 PKR 456

$2.16 PKR 598

-23.61%

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

$0.41 PKR 114

$0.38 PKR 106

7.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 PKR 48.34

$0.25 PKR 69.3

-32.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 PKR 206

$0.90 PKR 248

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.52 PKR 143

5.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 353

$1.20 PKR 331

6.67%

Eggs

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.25 PKR 346

-5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,388

$5.82 PKR 1,611

-13.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 PKR 816

$3.11 PKR 860

-5.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.18 PKR 1,434

$6.53 PKR 1,807

-20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 275

$1.28 PKR 354

-22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.54 PKR 149

3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 PKR 190

$1.02 PKR 283

-32.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 152

$0.56 PKR 155

-1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.32 PKR 88.7

$0.34 PKR 94.9

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.31 PKR 87.0

67.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.41 PKR 113

2.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.43 PKR 120

-6.98%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 507

$1.28 PKR 355

42.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.33 PKR 368

-9.77%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

$2.45 PKR 678

-1.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 563

$1.78 PKR 492

14.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 PKR 37.88

$0.28 PKR 77.1

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.01 PKR 2,493

$11.70 PKR 3,237

-22.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 PKR 289

$0.92 PKR 254

13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 PKR 129

$0.73 PKR 203

-35.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 PKR 424

$2.22 PKR 615

-31.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 PKR 317

$1.33 PKR 369

-13.53%

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

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

9.01%

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

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-11.07%

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

$100 PKR 27.7K

$112 PKR 31.0K

-10.68%

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

$7.95 PKR 2,200

$5.99 PKR 1,656

32.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.48 PKR 4,561

$13.18 PKR 3,648

25.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.81 PKR 1,608

$24.67 PKR 6,825

-76.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.46 PKR 2,063

$18.29 PKR 5,061

-59.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.23 PKR 894

$4.34 PKR 1,201

-25.58%

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

$35.14 PKR 9,724

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

-47.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,039 PKR 287.4K

$1,915 PKR 529.8K

-45.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.05 PKR 2,228

$17.61 PKR 4,873

-54.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.10 PKR 6,114

$22.03 PKR 6,096

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.98 PKR 9,402

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

-16.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

$136 PKR 37.6K

-47.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

-38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 PKR 45.4K

$392 PKR 108.5K

-58.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 PKR 27.8K

$207 PKR 57.2K

-51.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$386 PKR 106.9K

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

-63.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$222 PKR 61.5K

$482 PKR 133.2K

-53.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$274 PKR 75.8K

$184 PKR 51.0K

48.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-1.59%

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

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetta

$125 30.1%

Karachi

$131 26.6% 5.4% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Quetta

$90 21.8%

Karachi

$102 20.5% 12.3% $11

Eating Out

Quetta

$64 15.4%

Karachi

$62 12.5% 3.2% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Quetta

$60 14.4%

Karachi

$67 13.5% 11.8% $7.1

Accommodation & Living

Quetta

$51 12.2%

Karachi

$82 16.6% 62.1% $31

Getting Around

Quetta

$13 3.1%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 34.6% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Quetta

$12 3%

Karachi

$33 6.7% 172% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $71 in Quetta and $136 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quetta pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Quetta vs $13 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90 vs $102 per month, with Quetta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Quetta

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

Same time as Quetta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,001,205

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Quetta Karachi 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quetta
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

Quetta vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $415 in Quetta and $495 in Karachi, so Quetta is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Quetta, 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: $71 in Quetta versus $136 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $415 per month in Quetta versus $495 in Karachi – Quetta is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Quetta runs roughly 23% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Quetta 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 Quetta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.