Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Laguna and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $482 in Karachi.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $626
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $931 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $750 in Karachi.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $931
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,236 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236
Karachi $1,018

Living in Santa Cruz, Laguna is roughly 30% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Cruz, Laguna 54% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.57 ₱99.0

$2.13 PKR 588

-26.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.09 ₱509

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-39.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱174

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-49.36%

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

$1.78 ₱112

$2.09 PKR 579

-14.83%

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

$0.38 ₱23.98

$0.40 PKR 111

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.1

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱103

$0.92 PKR 254

77.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱72.9

$0.56 PKR 156

107.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$1.25 PKR 345

-20.00%

Eggs

$1.55 ₱97.5

$1.23 PKR 341

26.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 ₱293

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ₱220

$3.16 PKR 876

10.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱445

$6.28 PKR 1,737

12.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ₱92.1

$1.26 PKR 348

15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 ₱28.85

$0.53 PKR 148

-13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₱91.0

$1.00 PKR 276

44.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$0.56 PKR 154

82.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$0.33 PKR 91.4

433.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$0.34 PKR 95.1

411.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱41.99

$0.42 PKR 116

59.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.46

$0.44 PKR 121

20.45%

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)

$2.89 ₱182

$1.84 PKR 509

57.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₱541

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱131

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.40

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.41 ₱718

$9.99 PKR 2,764

14.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$0.92 PKR 256

-11.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.70 PKR 193

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.16 PKR 597

-11.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$1.38 PKR 382

-9.42%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

18.43%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-28.92%

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

$85.1 ₱5,359

$113 PKR 31.4K

-24.97%

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

$17.58 ₱1,107

$5.95 PKR 1,648

195.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 ₱1,487

$13.16 PKR 3,642

79.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.48 ₱1,982

$21.55 PKR 5,965

46.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.14 ₱261

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-77.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$4.21 PKR 1,165

21.85%

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

$134 ₱8,442

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

157.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱675.9K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

453.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.89 ₱1,819

$17.55 PKR 4,858

64.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-16.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,565

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,515

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

37.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 ₱15.2K

$118 PKR 32.7K

105.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₱9,895

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

113.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$357 PKR 98.9K

33.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$188 PKR 52.0K

60.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 ₱144.5K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

116.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$886 ₱55.8K

$481 PKR 133.1K

84.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: 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

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 53.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 35% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 4.9% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 14.9% $12

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 18.5% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 28.2% $12

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 9.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $156 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

3 h behind Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

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 = 70.78 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

Santa Cruz, Laguna Karachi 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz, Laguna
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

Santa Cruz, Laguna vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna and Karachi differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($626 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $940 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $723 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: $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $626 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $482 in Karachi – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 14% less than in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 30% less than in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.