Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $749 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $749 in San Juan versus $482 in Karachi.

San Juan $749
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,101 in San Juan versus $750 in Karachi.

San Juan $1,101
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,452 in San Juan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

San Juan $1,452
Karachi $1,018

Living in San Juan is roughly 56% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Juan 45% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₱255

$2.13 PKR 588

90.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.88 ₱1,063

$13.30 PKR 3,680

26.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱177

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-48.26%

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

$2.76 ₱174

$2.09 PKR 579

32.06%

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

$0.66 ₱41.30

$0.40 PKR 111

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.48

$0.26 PKR 71.1

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₱67.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱107

$0.92 PKR 254

83.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.5

$0.56 PKR 156

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱52.7

$1.25 PKR 345

-32.80%

Eggs

$1.82 ₱114

$1.23 PKR 341

47.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.24 ₱330

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$3.16 PKR 876

9.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 ₱454

$6.28 PKR 1,737

14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.26 PKR 348

84.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.9

$0.53 PKR 148

156.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.00 PKR 276

133.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.8

$0.56 PKR 154

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ₱107

$0.33 PKR 91.4

412.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$0.34 PKR 95.1

411.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱42.17

$0.42 PKR 116

59.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.3

$0.44 PKR 121

120.45%

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)

$2.71 ₱171

$1.84 PKR 509

47.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 ₱490

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₱116

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.26

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.14 ₱764

$9.99 PKR 2,764

21.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.71

$0.92 PKR 256

-14.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.52

$0.70 PKR 193

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱123

$2.16 PKR 597

-9.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱77.8

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.14%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

17.19%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-29.99%

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

$141 ₱8,877

$113 PKR 31.4K

24.28%

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

$14.25 ₱897

$5.95 PKR 1,648

139.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.38 ₱1,535

$13.16 PKR 3,642

85.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 ₱1,893

$21.55 PKR 5,965

39.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.41 ₱278

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-75.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$4.21 PKR 1,165

20.43%

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

$74.3 ₱4,677

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

42.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,556 ₱160.9K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

31.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.32 ₱1,846

$17.55 PKR 4,858

67.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 ₱1,241

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-16.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₱4,539

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.8 ₱3,573

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

39.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ₱19.1K

$118 PKR 32.7K

157.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

135.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ₱32.4K

$357 PKR 98.9K

44.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$188 PKR 52.0K

60.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₱168.8K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

152.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₱70.2K

$481 PKR 133.1K

131.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$243 ₱15.3K

$183 PKR 50.6K

33.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

13.21

-48.90%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$180 24%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 26.2% $47

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$175 23.3%

Karachi

$101 21% 42% $73

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$173 23.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 57.5% $100

Eating Out

San Juan

$86 11.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 29.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$80 10.7%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 15.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$40 5.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 25.5% $10

Getting Around

San Juan

$15 2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 2.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $303 in San Juan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 33% 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: $17.00 in San Juan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Juan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

3 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,347

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Karachi 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan and Karachi differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($749 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in San Juan, 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: $303 in San Juan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $749 per month in San Juan versus $482 in Karachi – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 22% less than in San Juan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.