Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarlac City and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $531 in Tarlac City, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. The total is higher in Tarlac City despite lower rent and utilities.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
Learn more

Tarlac City Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$531

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $531 in Tarlac City versus $482 in Karachi.

Tarlac City $531
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $815 in Tarlac City versus $750 in Karachi.

Tarlac City $815
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,098 in Tarlac City versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Tarlac City $1,098
Karachi $1,018

Living in Tarlac City is roughly 10% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tarlac City 61% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₱129

$2.13 PKR 588

-4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₱505

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-39.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-47.89%

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

$1.84 ₱116

$2.09 PKR 579

-11.96%

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

$0.46 ₱28.88

$0.40 PKR 111

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.04

$0.26 PKR 71.1

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ₱107

$0.92 PKR 254

84.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$0.56 PKR 156

105.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$1.25 PKR 345

-19.20%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.23 PKR 341

58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱325

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ₱168

$3.16 PKR 876

-15.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 ₱401

$6.28 PKR 1,737

1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.26 PKR 348

27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.6

$0.53 PKR 148

198.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.00 PKR 276

95.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.1

$0.56 PKR 154

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ₱110

$0.33 PKR 91.4

427.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.6

$0.34 PKR 95.1

252.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.30

$0.42 PKR 116

47.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.88

$0.44 PKR 121

11.36%

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)

$2.99 ₱188

$1.84 PKR 509

62.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.80 ₱239

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱56.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱96.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.22 ₱517

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-17.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱47.98

$0.92 PKR 256

-17.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.70 PKR 193

-64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ₱83.2

$2.16 PKR 597

-38.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.2

$1.38 PKR 382

-13.77%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

18.55%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-28.04%

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

$89.9 ₱5,661

$113 PKR 31.4K

-20.75%

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

$5.72 ₱360

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-3.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.40 ₱1,473

$13.16 PKR 3,642

77.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.83 ₱2,508

$21.55 PKR 5,965

84.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 ₱1,019

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-11.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱322

$4.21 PKR 1,165

21.62%

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

$132 ₱8,311

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

153.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱669.2K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

447.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.81 ₱1,814

$17.55 PKR 4,858

64.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 ₱1,224

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-17.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.3 ₱3,924

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.52 ₱3,118

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.6 ₱5,512

$118 PKR 32.7K

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.7 ₱4,451

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

-3.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 ₱16.3K

$357 PKR 98.9K

-27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ₱10.4K

$188 PKR 52.0K

-12.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$375 ₱23.6K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

-64.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$292 ₱18.4K

$481 PKR 133.1K

-39.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 ₱13.2K

$183 PKR 50.6K

14.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

13.21

-48.90%

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

Last update for Tarlac City: 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

Tarlac City

$150 28.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 32.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarlac City

$119 22.4%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 11.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Tarlac City

$72 13.6%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 6% $4.3

Accommodation & Living

Tarlac City

$71 13.3%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 4.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Tarlac City

$58 11%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 4.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Tarlac City

$50 9.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 40.1% $20

Getting Around

Tarlac City

$11 2.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 39.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $87.6 in Tarlac City and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tarlac City pays 15% 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: $8.00 in Tarlac City vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $150 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

3 h behind Tarlac City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,398

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tarlac City Karachi 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarlac 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

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

Tarlac City and Karachi differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($531 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Tarlac 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: $87.6 in Tarlac City versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $531 per month in Tarlac City versus $482 in Karachi – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 22% less than in Tarlac City. 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, Tarlac 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 Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Tarlac City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.