Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sahiwal and Karachi

For one person, living costs are similar in Sahiwal and in Karachi: $507 and $496 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Sahiwal
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Sahiwal Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$507

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $507 in Sahiwal versus $496 in Karachi.

Sahiwal $507
Karachi $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $761 in Sahiwal versus $769 in Karachi.

Sahiwal $761
Karachi $769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,015 in Sahiwal versus $1,042 in Karachi.

Sahiwal $1,015
Karachi $1,042

Monthly costs are close between Sahiwal and Karachi; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sahiwal 62% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 PKR 704

$2.21 PKR 611

14.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.22 PKR 3,933

$12.74 PKR 3,525

11.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PKR 1,552

$5.28 PKR 1,461

6.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 PKR 1,005

$2.23 PKR 616

62.78%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$7.11 PKR 1,966

-22.22%

Cappuccino

$2.52 PKR 697

$2.08 PKR 576

21.15%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.39 PKR 107

2.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 65.9

$0.25 PKR 68.4

-4.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 PKR 272

$0.84 PKR 234

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 PKR 217

$0.53 PKR 148

47.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.20 PKR 331

-1.67%

Eggs

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.20 PKR 333

-3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 PKR 1,773

$5.69 PKR 1,573

12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.56 PKR 708

$3.04 PKR 841

-15.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 PKR 1,379

$6.16 PKR 1,705

-19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.31 PKR 361

-9.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 PKR 182

$0.54 PKR 148

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 PKR 252

$0.98 PKR 272

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.54 PKR 148

9.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 79.4

$0.28 PKR 76.2

3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.33 PKR 91.9

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.44 PKR 122

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.38 PKR 105

-10.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.06 PKR 292

$1.30 PKR 359

-18.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 PKR 170

$1.34 PKR 370

-54.48%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 PKR 457

$2.43 PKR 671

-32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.80 PKR 498

23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 56.4

$0.28 PKR 77.3

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.00 PKR 2,767

$11.57 PKR 3,200

-13.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.96 PKR 266

-9.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.71 PKR 196

-2.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 PKR 488

$2.20 PKR 610

-20.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 PKR 386

$1.41 PKR 391

-0.71%

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

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

1.00%

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

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

$25.8K PKR 7.1M

-7.85%

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

$124 PKR 34.4K

$116 PKR 32.0K

7.68%

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

$5.52 PKR 1,527

$5.61 PKR 1,553

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.08 PKR 4,449

$12.77 PKR 3,534

25.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.10 PKR 4,178

$24.83 PKR 6,869

-39.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.13 PKR 2,250

$17.96 PKR 4,967

-54.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.32 PKR 1,196

-1.39%

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

$75.4 PKR 20.9K

$68.5 PKR 18.9K

10.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,016 PKR 557.8K

$8,195 PKR 2.3M

-75.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.94 PKR 4,962

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.74 PKR 7,674

$22.50 PKR 6,225

23.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 PKR 20.0K

$70.3 PKR 19.4K

3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.68 PKR 9,040

$43.53 PKR 12.0K

-24.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.2K

$136 PKR 37.7K

-1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.9 PKR 24.0K

$82.8 PKR 22.9K

4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 PKR 75.4K

$390 PKR 108.0K

-30.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 PKR 50.0K

$206 PKR 56.9K

-12.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$824 PKR 228.0K

$1,083 PKR 299.7K

-23.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.7K

$489 PKR 135.2K

1.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 PKR 46.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

13.05

7.66%

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

Last update for Sahiwal: November 1, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sahiwal

$146 28.8%

Karachi

$134 27% 8.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Sahiwal

$98 19.3%

Karachi

$98 19.8% 0.4% $0.4

Accommodation & Living

Sahiwal

$87 17.1%

Karachi

$83 16.7% 4.7% $4.1

Eating Out

Sahiwal

$70 13.8%

Karachi

$61 12.3% 12.8% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Sahiwal

$68 13.4%

Karachi

$70 14% 2.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sahiwal

$24 4.7%

Karachi

$33 6.8% 41.7% $9.8

Getting Around

Sahiwal

$15 3%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 13.7% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $134 in Sahiwal and $136 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Sahiwal vs $13 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $98 vs $98, with Sahiwal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

Same time as Sahiwal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

389,605

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sahiwal Karachi 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sahiwal
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

Sahiwal vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $761 in Sahiwal and $744 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $134 in Sahiwal versus $136 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $75 in Sahiwal versus $68 in Karachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Sahiwal runs roughly 14% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi 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.