Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $886 in Samut Prakan, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
Learn more

Samut Prakan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $886 in Samut Prakan versus $482 in Karachi.

Samut Prakan $886
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Samut Prakan versus $750 in Karachi.

Samut Prakan $1,389
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,893 in Samut Prakan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Samut Prakan $1,893
Karachi $1,018

Living in Samut Prakan is roughly 84% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Prakan 34% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.25 ฿109

$2.13 PKR 588

52.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.10 ฿505

$13.30 PKR 3,678

13.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 ฿254

$5.45 PKR 1,507

39.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,004

Cappuccino

$1.43 ฿47.70

$2.09 PKR 579

-31.58%

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

$0.51 ฿17.05

$0.40 PKR 111

27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.75

$0.26 PKR 71.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ฿67.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.36

$0.92 PKR 254

60.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ฿32.07

$0.56 PKR 156

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ฿29.12

$1.25 PKR 345

-30.40%

Eggs

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.23 PKR 341

41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿412

$5.67 PKR 1,569

117.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 ฿82.4

$3.16 PKR 875

-21.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ฿342

$6.28 PKR 1,736

63.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ฿59.9

$1.26 PKR 348

42.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ฿23.72

$0.53 PKR 147

33.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.92

$1.00 PKR 276

31.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.20

$0.56 PKR 154

108.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.70

$0.33 PKR 91.3

342.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.72

$0.34 PKR 95.1

126.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.36

$0.42 PKR 116

95.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.90

$0.44 PKR 121

2.27%

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)

$4.56 ฿152

$1.84 PKR 508

147.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 ฿300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿62.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.28 PKR 77.0

89.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,763

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 ฿56.4

$0.92 PKR 256

83.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ฿51.5

$0.70 PKR 193

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 ฿159

$2.16 PKR 596

120.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ฿37.00

$1.38 PKR 382

-19.57%

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

$11.9K ฿396.7K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

-33.69%

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

$23.5K ฿785.8K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-13.18%

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

$83.1 ฿2,778

$113 PKR 31.4K

-26.73%

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

$9.05 ฿302

$5.95 PKR 1,647

52.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.08 ฿537

$13.16 PKR 3,640

22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.11 ฿1,574

$21.55 PKR 5,962

118.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 ฿470

$18.23 PKR 5,041

-22.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 ฿219

$4.21 PKR 1,164

55.58%

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

$146 ฿4,876

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

179.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,031 ฿201.6K

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

210.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.97 ฿500

$17.55 PKR 4,855

-14.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.13 ฿1,208

$23.51 PKR 6,502

53.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ฿2,411

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 ฿3,927

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

189.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ฿15.7K

$118 PKR 32.6K

297.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 ฿11.1K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

350.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 ฿46.0K

$357 PKR 98.9K

284.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ฿24.1K

$188 PKR 52.0K

283.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,909 ฿63.8K

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

80.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ฿53.4K

$481 PKR 133.0K

232.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 ฿22.5K

$183 PKR 50.6K

268.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-77.29%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$331 37.4%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 77.8% $258

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$181 20.4%

Karachi

$101 21% 43.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 37.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 22.5% $24

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$85 9.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 28.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$60 6.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 50.2% $30

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 34.7% $4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Samut Prakan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 269% 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: $15.00 in Samut Prakan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

2 h behind Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samut Prakan Karachi 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Samut Prakan
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

Samut Prakan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan and Karachi differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($886 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 269% higher in Samut Prakan, 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: $469 in Samut Prakan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Samut Prakan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $886 per month in Samut Prakan versus $482 in Karachi – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

Safety-wise, Samut Prakan 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 84% less than in Samut Prakan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.