Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagum City and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagum City: $437 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Tagum City
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Tagum City Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Tagum City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$437

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $437 in Tagum City versus $482 in Karachi.

Tagum City $437
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $541 in Tagum City versus $750 in Karachi.

Tagum City $541
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $645 in Tagum City versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Tagum City $645
Karachi $1,018

Living in Tagum City costs roughly 9% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tagum City 68% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ₱346

$2.13 PKR 588

158.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.68 ₱799

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-4.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ₱318

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-7.34%

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)

$0.40 PKR 111

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₱117

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₱90.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱102

$0.92 PKR 254

76.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

Eggs

$1.88 ₱119

$1.23 PKR 341

52.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.06 ₱507

$6.28 PKR 1,737

28.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.41 ₱404

$1.26 PKR 348

408.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

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)

$1.84 PKR 509

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₱86.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.38 PKR 382

-0.72%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

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

$55.7 ₱3,506

$113 PKR 31.4K

-50.91%

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

$8.09 ₱510

$5.95 PKR 1,648

35.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 ₱1,729

$13.16 PKR 3,642

108.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.71 ₱1,493

$21.55 PKR 5,965

10.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$3.28 ₱206

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-22.09%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₱9,992

$118 PKR 32.7K

34.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ₱8,124

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

75.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.3K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-9.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ₱12.8K

$183 PKR 50.6K

10.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

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

Last update for Tagum City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tagum City

$129 29.5%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 43% $55

Eating Out

Tagum City

$99 * 22.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 38.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagum City

$91 20.9%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 45.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Tagum City

$87 * 19.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 16.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tagum City

$30 6.9%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 1% $0.3

Getting Around

Tagum City

$1 * 0.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 1452% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Tagum City

- * 0%

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $159 in Tagum City and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tagum City pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Tagum City vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $87.0 vs $101 per month, with Tagum City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagum City

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

3 h behind Tagum City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

296,202

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

Tagum City Karachi 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tagum City
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

Tagum City vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagum City and Karachi differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($437 vs $482 including rent). Tagum City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Tagum City, 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: $159 in Tagum City versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tagum City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $13.00 in Karachi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $437 per month in Tagum City versus $482 in Karachi – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Tagum City 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, Tagum City 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 Tagum City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.