Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sheikhupura and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $496 a month against $520 in Sheikhupura, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. The total is higher in Sheikhupura despite lower rent and utilities.

Sheikhupura, Pakistan
Karachi, Pakistan
Sheikhupura
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$520
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$496
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Sheikhupura versus $496 in Karachi.

  • Sheikhupura $520
  • Karachi $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $819 in Sheikhupura versus $769 in Karachi.

  • Sheikhupura $819
  • Karachi $769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,119 in Sheikhupura versus $1,042 in Karachi.

  • Sheikhupura $1,119
  • Karachi $1,042

Living in Sheikhupura is roughly 5% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.57 PKR 986
$2.21 PKR 611
61.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.07 PKR 6,381
$12.74 PKR 3,525
81.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 PKR 1,534
$5.28 PKR 1,461
5.11%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.53 PKR 976
$2.23 PKR 616
58.30%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.94 PKR 1,920
$7.11 PKR 1,966
-2.39%
Cappuccino
$2.55 PKR 707
$2.08 PKR 576
22.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 PKR 88.3
$0.39 PKR 107
-17.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 PKR 58.0
$0.25 PKR 68.4
-16.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 PKR 274
$0.84 PKR 234
17.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 PKR 204
$0.53 PKR 148
39.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 PKR 348
$1.20 PKR 331
5.00%
Eggs
$1.28 PKR 353
$1.20 PKR 333
6.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.00 PKR 1,660
$5.69 PKR 1,573
5.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.02 PKR 836
$3.04 PKR 841
-0.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.34 PKR 1,476
$6.16 PKR 1,705
-13.31%
Apples (1kg)
$1.29 PKR 356
$1.31 PKR 361
-1.53%
Banana (1kg)
$0.87 PKR 239
$0.54 PKR 148
61.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.07 PKR 295
$0.98 PKR 272
9.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 PKR 146
$0.54 PKR 148
-1.85%
Potato (1kg)
$0.27 PKR 74.0
$0.28 PKR 76.2
-3.57%
Onion (1kg)
$0.38 PKR 106
$0.33 PKR 91.9
15.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.30 PKR 83.8
$0.44 PKR 122
-31.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 PKR 109
$0.38 PKR 105
2.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.86 PKR 515
$1.30 PKR 359
43.08%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 PKR 342
$1.34 PKR 370
-8.21%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 PKR 670
$2.43 PKR 671
-0.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 PKR 646
$1.80 PKR 498
30.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 PKR 51.6
$0.28 PKR 77.3
-32.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.90 PKR 2,740
$11.57 PKR 3,200
-14.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 PKR 355
$0.96 PKR 266
33.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.68 PKR 189
$0.71 PKR 196
-4.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.61 PKR 446
$2.20 PKR 610
-26.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 PKR 377
$1.41 PKR 391
-3.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K PKR 5.9M
$18.0K PKR 5.0M
18.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.1K PKR 6.4M
$25.8K PKR 7.1M
-10.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 PKR 28.0K
$116 PKR 32.0K
-12.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.94 PKR 1,644
$5.61 PKR 1,553
5.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.74 PKR 4,631
$12.77 PKR 3,534
31.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.72 PKR 4,073
$24.83 PKR 6,869
-40.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.23 PKR 2,276
$17.96 PKR 4,967
-54.18%
Cinema Ticket
$4.76 PKR 1,315
$4.32 PKR 1,196
10.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$43.17 PKR 11.9K
$68.5 PKR 18.9K
-36.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,052 PKR 291.1K
$8,195 PKR 2.3M
-87.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.44 PKR 7,313
$18.23 PKR 5,044
45.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.46 PKR 9,533
$22.50 PKR 6,225
53.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.3 PKR 27.2K
$70.3 PKR 19.4K
39.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.10 PKR 11.4K
$43.53 PKR 12.0K
-5.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$135 PKR 37.2K
$136 PKR 37.7K
-1.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$85.4 PKR 23.6K
$82.8 PKR 22.9K
3.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$266 PKR 73.6K
$390 PKR 108.0K
-31.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$180 PKR 49.8K
$206 PKR 56.9K
-12.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$816 PKR 225.8K
$1,083 PKR 299.7K
-24.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$512 PKR 141.7K
$489 PKR 135.2K
4.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sheikhupura
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$169 PKR 46.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.08
13.05
0.23%

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

Last update for Sheikhupura: October 31, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sheikhupura
$124
Karachi
$134 8.1% $10
Groceries & Markets
Sheikhupura
$103
Karachi
$98 4.1% $4.3
Clothing & Footwear
Sheikhupura
$90
Karachi
$70 22.9% $21
Accommodation & Living
Sheikhupura
$85
Karachi
$83 3.1% $2.6
Eating Out
Sheikhupura
$78
Karachi
$61 21.7% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Sheikhupura
$24
Karachi
$33 38.2% $9.2
Getting Around
Sheikhupura
$15
Karachi
$17 11.9% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $135 in Sheikhupura and $136 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Sheikhupura vs $13 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $98 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Sheikhupura
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
22:26 10:26 PM
22:26 10:26 PM
Same time as Sheikhupura
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
473,129
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sheikhupura Karachi 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sheikhupura
  • 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
Sheikhupura vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sheikhupura and in Karachi?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $520 in Sheikhupura and $496 in Karachi, so Karachi is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Sheikhupura compared to Karachi?
You’d need roughly $779 in Sheikhupura 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Sheikhupura and in Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $135 in Sheikhupura versus $136 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Sheikhupura or Karachi?
All in, you’ll spend $520 per month in Sheikhupura versus $496 in Karachi – Karachi is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Sheikhupura and in Karachi?
A monthly transit pass in Sheikhupura runs roughly 14% less than in Karachi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How far does $1,200 go in Sheikhupura compared to Karachi?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Sheikhupura and Karachi?
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.

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