Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $663 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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Subic Bay Freeport Zone Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇭 Philippines

$663

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $482 in Karachi.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $663
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,008 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $750 in Karachi.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,008
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,354 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,354
Karachi $1,018

Living in Subic Bay Freeport Zone is roughly 38% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Subic Bay Freeport Zone 51% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ₱293

$2.13 PKR 588

118.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.46 ₱911

$13.30 PKR 3,680

8.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 ₱318

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-7.16%

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

$2.29 ₱144

$2.09 PKR 579

9.57%

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

$1.57 ₱98.9

$0.40 PKR 111

292.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.09

$0.26 PKR 71.1

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ₱92.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$0.92 PKR 254

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ₱75.9

$0.56 PKR 156

116.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱52.7

$1.25 PKR 345

-32.80%

Eggs

$1.88 ₱118

$1.23 PKR 341

52.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.75 ₱299

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-16.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ₱302

$3.16 PKR 876

51.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.13 ₱512

$6.28 PKR 1,737

29.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$1.26 PKR 348

83.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₱112

$0.53 PKR 148

233.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$1.00 PKR 276

130.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₱76.8

$0.56 PKR 154

117.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 ₱129

$0.33 PKR 91.4

521.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$0.34 PKR 95.1

473.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₱53.8

$0.42 PKR 116

102.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.17

$0.44 PKR 121

15.91%

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)

$2.97 ₱187

$1.84 PKR 509

61.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.57

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.61 ₱668

$9.99 PKR 2,764

6.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.93

$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)

$1.90 ₱120

$2.16 PKR 597

-12.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.38 PKR 382

-25.36%

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

$18.2K ₱1.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

1.94%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-28.62%

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

$138 ₱8,657

$113 PKR 31.4K

21.20%

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

$14.33 ₱902

$5.95 PKR 1,648

140.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.88 ₱1,062

$13.16 PKR 3,642

28.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.59 ₱1,863

$21.55 PKR 5,965

37.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.67 ₱294

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-74.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.16 ₱325

$4.21 PKR 1,165

22.57%

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

$116 ₱7,296

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

122.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,216 ₱454.3K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

271.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.47 ₱2,233

$17.55 PKR 4,858

102.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.88 ₱1,315

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-11.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 ₱4,029

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,501

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

36.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$129 ₱8,141

$118 PKR 32.7K

9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.7 ₱5,082

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₱20.8K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-7.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₱11.9K

$188 PKR 52.0K

0.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,555 ₱160.9K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

141.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$916 ₱57.6K

$481 PKR 133.1K

90.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.21

-48.60%

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

Last update for Subic Bay Freeport Zone: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$182 27.5%

Karachi

$101 21% 44.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$169 25.5%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 21.4% $36

Eating Out

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$99 14.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 38.2% $38

Accommodation & Living

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$81 12.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 8.8% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$79 12%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 14.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$40 6%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 24.9% $9.9

Getting Around

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$13 2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 16.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $129 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

13:20 1:20 PM

3 h behind Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,178

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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Subic Bay Freeport Zone Karachi 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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

Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Karachi differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($663 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 $994 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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: $129 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $663 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $482 in Karachi – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 6% less than in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. 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, Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 38% less than in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.