Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $2,021 in Taipa, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Taipa versus $490 in Karachi.

Taipa $2,021
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,175 in Taipa versus $755 in Karachi.

Taipa $3,175
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,330 in Taipa versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Taipa $4,330
Karachi $1,019

Living in Taipa is roughly 312% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipa is 51% above, Karachi is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.30 MOP 50.9

$2.15 PKR 596

193.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 MOP 458

$13.37 PKR 3,700

323.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 MOP 48.13

$5.29 PKR 1,464

12.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$4.87 MOP 39.38

$2.11 PKR 583

130.81%

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

$0.77 MOP 6.21

$0.37 PKR 103

108.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MOP 2.90

$0.28 PKR 78.2

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 MOP 47.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 MOP 58.2

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 MOP 25.41

$0.86 PKR 238

265.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 MOP 14.19

$0.52 PKR 144

238.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$1.24 PKR 344

39.52%

Eggs

$3.35 MOP 27.06

$1.24 PKR 342

170.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.42 MOP 133

$5.86 PKR 1,622

180.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.52 MOP 158

$3.12 PKR 862

525.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.67 MOP 232

$6.25 PKR 1,731

358.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MOP 21.49

$1.29 PKR 356

106.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 MOP 23.58

$0.54 PKR 150

440.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MOP 15.32

$0.99 PKR 273

91.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 MOP 19.14

$0.56 PKR 155

323.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.04 MOP 32.67

$0.33 PKR 91.6

1124.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 MOP 22.91

$0.35 PKR 95.9

708.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 MOP 5.03

$0.45 PKR 124

37.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MOP 9.54

$0.44 PKR 121

168.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 MOP 55.6

$1.79 PKR 497

284.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 MOP 98.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MOP 14.35

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MOP 18.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 MOP 20.64

$0.92 PKR 255

177.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MOP 10.06

$0.71 PKR 196

76.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.06 MOP 122

$2.22 PKR 615

578.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 MOP 14.81

$1.35 PKR 372

35.56%

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

$31.5K MOP 254.6K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

76.56%

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

$31.8K MOP 257.1K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

18.96%

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

$122 MOP 984

$112 PKR 30.9K

8.89%

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

$23.67 MOP 191

$6.05 PKR 1,673

291.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.90 MOP 298

$13.29 PKR 3,679

177.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 MOP 596

$21.51 PKR 5,954

242.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.74 MOP 30.22

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-78.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.47 MOP 101

$4.42 PKR 1,222

182.13%

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

$1,203 MOP 9,723

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

2271.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K MOP 150.8K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

853.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 MOP 565

$17.57 PKR 4,862

297.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 MOP 275

$22.78 PKR 6,304

49.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 MOP 754

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

37.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 MOP 1,113

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

236.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 MOP 8,607

$117 PKR 32.5K

808.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 MOP 8,089

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

1221.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 MOP 17.2K

$365 PKR 101.1K

483.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 MOP 15.3K

$182 PKR 50.5K

937.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K MOP 128.2K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

1405.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K MOP 109.8K

$491 PKR 135.8K

2668.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-77.29%

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

Last update for Taipa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipa

$1K 49.1%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 92.4% $925

Groceries & Markets

Taipa

$425 20.8%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 76.3% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipa

$182 8.9%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 28.1% $51

Eating Out

Taipa

$175 8.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 65.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Taipa

$151 7.4%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 55.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Taipa

$99 4.8%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 69.2% $68

Getting Around

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 73.6% $6.5

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 $1,065 in Taipa and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Taipa vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $425 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Taipa

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

08:58 8:58 AM

3 h behind Taipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,497

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipa Karachi 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipa
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

Taipa vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipa and Karachi differ by about 312% in total monthly costs ($2,021 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,031 in Taipa and $735 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: $1,065 in Taipa versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 321% higher in Taipa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,021 per month in Taipa versus $490 in Karachi – a 312% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $2,021 in Taipa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Taipa. 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, Taipa 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 312% less than in Taipa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.