Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,068 in Tainan, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Tainan versus $482 in Karachi.

Tainan $1,068
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Tainan versus $750 in Karachi.

Tainan $1,837
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Tainan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Tainan $2,606
Karachi $1,018

Living in Tainan is roughly 122% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tainan 21% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$2.13 PKR 588

75.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$13.30 PKR 3,680

85.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-12.11%

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

$3.27 NT$106

$2.09 PKR 579

56.46%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$0.40 PKR 111

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$0.26 PKR 71.1

142.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$0.92 PKR 254

235.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$0.56 PKR 156

216.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$1.25 PKR 345

152.00%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$1.23 PKR 341

123.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$5.67 PKR 1,570

243.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$3.16 PKR 876

212.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$6.28 PKR 1,737

235.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$1.26 PKR 348

293.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$0.53 PKR 148

439.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$1.00 PKR 276

200.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$0.56 PKR 154

700.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$0.33 PKR 91.4

706.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$0.34 PKR 95.1

567.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$0.42 PKR 116

307.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$0.44 PKR 121

161.36%

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)

$3.81 NT$124

$1.84 PKR 509

107.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$0.28 PKR 77.0

117.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$9.99 PKR 2,764

239.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$0.92 PKR 256

175.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$0.70 PKR 193

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$2.16 PKR 597

165.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.38 PKR 382

-26.81%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

83.26%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-11.12%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$113 PKR 31.4K

-23.13%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$5.95 PKR 1,648

194.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$13.16 PKR 3,642

61.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$21.55 PKR 5,965

111.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$4.21 PKR 1,165

128.03%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

730.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

178.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$17.55 PKR 4,858

260.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$23.51 PKR 6,506

66.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

21.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

154.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$118 PKR 32.7K

151.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

171.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$357 PKR 98.9K

136.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$188 PKR 52.0K

270.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

288.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$481 PKR 133.1K

528.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$183 PKR 50.6K

652.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

13.21

-81.83%

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

Last update for Tainan: 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

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 74.3% $292

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 63.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 48% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 5.2% $6.5

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 45% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 53.8% $35

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 63.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Tainan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tainan pays 652% 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: $25.00 in Tainan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

3 h behind Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

14,910,352

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tainan Karachi 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tainan
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

Tainan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tainan and Karachi differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 652% higher in Tainan, 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: $297 in Tainan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,068 per month in Tainan versus $482 in Karachi – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 239% less than in Tainan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,068 in Tainan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Tainan. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Tainan 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 122% less than in Tainan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.