Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taoyuan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,200 in Taoyuan, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,200 in Taoyuan versus $482 in Karachi.

Taoyuan $1,200
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,816 in Taoyuan versus $750 in Karachi.

Taoyuan $1,816
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,433 in Taoyuan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Taoyuan $2,433
Karachi $1,018

Living in Taoyuan is roughly 149% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taoyuan 11% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 NT$137

$2.13 PKR 588

98.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.93 NT$808

$13.30 PKR 3,680

87.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 NT$186

$5.45 PKR 1,508

5.32%

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

$2.97 NT$96.2

$2.09 PKR 579

42.11%

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

$1.02 NT$33.18

$0.40 PKR 111

155.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.97

$0.26 PKR 71.1

173.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 NT$59.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.6

Milk (1 liter)

$2.84 NT$92.2

$0.92 PKR 254

208.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 NT$39.64

$0.56 PKR 156

117.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 NT$86.5

$1.25 PKR 345

113.60%

Eggs

$2.17 NT$70.4

$1.23 PKR 341

76.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 NT$299

$5.67 PKR 1,570

62.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 NT$245

$3.16 PKR 876

138.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 NT$684

$6.28 PKR 1,737

235.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 NT$124

$1.26 PKR 348

203.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$0.53 PKR 148

288.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 NT$101

$1.00 PKR 276

211.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$0.56 PKR 154

453.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$80.2

$0.33 PKR 91.4

648.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 NT$65.9

$0.34 PKR 95.1

497.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$0.42 PKR 116

454.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.53

$0.44 PKR 121

100.00%

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)

$5.02 NT$163

$1.84 PKR 509

172.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NT$353

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.45

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NT$69.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 NT$17.81

$0.28 PKR 77.0

96.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 NT$1,234

$9.99 PKR 2,764

281.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.8

$0.92 PKR 256

197.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.51

$0.70 PKR 193

8.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 NT$227

$2.16 PKR 597

223.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.37

$1.38 PKR 382

-27.54%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

83.44%

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

$23.3K NT$755.7K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-13.95%

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

$69.5 NT$2,252

$113 PKR 31.4K

-38.77%

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

$17.72 NT$574

$5.95 PKR 1,648

197.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.93 NT$711

$13.16 PKR 3,642

66.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.59 NT$1,089

$21.55 PKR 5,965

55.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.07 NT$229

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-61.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 NT$355

$4.21 PKR 1,165

159.86%

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

$517 NT$16.8K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

891.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K NT$1.0M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

1513.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 NT$2,959

$17.55 PKR 4,858

420.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.83 NT$805

$23.51 PKR 6,506

5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 NT$2,655

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 NT$3,119

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

137.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 NT$20.9K

$118 PKR 32.7K

447.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 NT$14.1K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

492.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 NT$31.2K

$357 PKR 98.9K

169.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 NT$23.6K

$188 PKR 52.0K

288.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,498 NT$243.2K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

607.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,782 NT$155.1K

$481 PKR 133.1K

894.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,549 NT$50.2K

$183 PKR 50.6K

746.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

13.21

-81.98%

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

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taoyuan

$436 36.3%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 83.1% $363

Groceries & Markets

Taoyuan

$313 26.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 67.6% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Taoyuan

$132 11%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 48.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taoyuan

$109 9.1%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 21.5% $23

Eating Out

Taoyuan

$107 9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 43.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Taoyuan

$55 4.6%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 46% $25

Getting Around

Taoyuan

$47 3.9%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 66.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $646 in Taoyuan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 747% 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 Taoyuan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

3 h behind Taoyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,147,763

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

Taoyuan Karachi 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Taoyuan
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

Taoyuan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taoyuan and Karachi differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($1,200 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 747% higher in Taoyuan, 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: $646 in Taoyuan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,200 per month in Taoyuan versus $482 in Karachi – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 281% less than in Taoyuan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,200 in Taoyuan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Taoyuan. 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, Taoyuan 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 149% less than in Taoyuan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.