Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Songkhla and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $830 in Songkhla, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
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Songkhla Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$830

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $830 in Songkhla versus $482 in Karachi.

Songkhla $830
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,335 in Songkhla versus $750 in Karachi.

Songkhla $1,335
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,839 in Songkhla versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Songkhla $1,839
Karachi $1,018

Living in Songkhla is roughly 72% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Songkhla 38% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.76 ฿58.9

$2.13 PKR 588

-17.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.83 ฿730

$13.30 PKR 3,678

64.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ฿156

$5.45 PKR 1,507

-14.13%

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

$1.59 ฿53.1

$2.09 PKR 579

-23.92%

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

$0.72 ฿24.04

$0.40 PKR 111

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ฿7.64

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 ฿60.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ฿157

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.92 PKR 254

80.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 ฿30.78

$0.56 PKR 156

64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.25 PKR 345

32.80%

Eggs

$1.42 ฿47.58

$1.23 PKR 341

15.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 ฿552

$5.67 PKR 1,569

191.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.7

$3.16 PKR 875

-14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$6.28 PKR 1,736

62.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.5

$1.26 PKR 348

136.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.6

$0.53 PKR 147

230.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.7

$1.00 PKR 276

124.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.09

$0.56 PKR 154

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.16

$0.33 PKR 91.3

327.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.9

$0.34 PKR 95.1

417.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.02

$0.42 PKR 116

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ฿29.80

$0.44 PKR 121

102.27%

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)

$4.27 ฿143

$1.84 PKR 508

132.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 ฿451

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ฿49.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ฿152

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.43

$0.28 PKR 77.0

203.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 ฿1,994

$9.99 PKR 2,763

497.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ฿41.36

$0.92 PKR 256

34.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ฿27.46

$0.70 PKR 193

17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 ฿160

$2.16 PKR 596

122.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿41.33

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.14%

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

$25.9K ฿867.1K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

44.95%

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

$31.6K ฿1.1M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

16.65%

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

$85.8 ฿2,866

$113 PKR 31.4K

-24.42%

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

$12.49 ฿417

$5.95 PKR 1,647

109.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.69 ฿591

$13.16 PKR 3,640

34.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.41 ฿1,618

$21.55 PKR 5,962

124.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ฿471

$18.23 PKR 5,041

-22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.02 ฿201

$4.21 PKR 1,164

42.99%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

974.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿356.4K

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

449.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ฿1,689

$17.55 PKR 4,855

188.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.97 ฿968

$23.51 PKR 6,502

23.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ฿2,577

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ฿2,518

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

85.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$236 ฿7,880

$118 PKR 32.6K

99.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ฿5,782

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

135.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 ฿19.0K

$357 PKR 98.9K

58.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 ฿14.1K

$188 PKR 52.0K

124.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ฿64.9K

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

83.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,605 ฿53.7K

$481 PKR 133.0K

233.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 ฿26.9K

$183 PKR 50.6K

340.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.33

13.21

-29.37%

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

Last update for Songkhla: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Songkhla

$239 28.8%

Karachi

$101 21% 57.6% $137

Accommodation & Living

Songkhla

$173 20.8%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 57.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Songkhla

$116 14%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 14.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Songkhla

$104 12.6%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 35.1% $37

Eating Out

Songkhla

$69 8.4%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 12% $8.3

Getting Around

Songkhla

$68 8.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 77.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Songkhla

$60 7.3%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 50.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $236 in Songkhla and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Songkhla pays 341% 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: $22.00 in Songkhla vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

2 h behind Songkhla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,758

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

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Highest

Between locations

Songkhla Karachi 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Songkhla
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

Songkhla vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Songkhla and Karachi differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($830 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 341% higher in Songkhla, 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: $236 in Songkhla versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $830 per month in Songkhla versus $482 in Karachi – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 497% less than in Songkhla. 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.

Safety-wise, Songkhla 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 72% less than in Songkhla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.