For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $473 a month against $960 in Thailand, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Thailand and in Pakistan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $960 in Thailand versus $473 in Pakistan.
Thailand $960
Pakistan $473
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,558 in Thailand versus $720 in Pakistan.
Thailand $1,558
Pakistan $720
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,156 in Thailand versus $968 in Pakistan.
Thailand $2,156
Pakistan $968
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Thailand: monthly costs span $609 to $2,098, compared to $291–$602 in Pakistan. City choice carries more weight in Thailand.
🌍
Living in Thailand is roughly 103% more expensive than in Pakistan on average.
📊
Both countries sit below the global median: Thailand 29% lower, Pakistan 65% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.95฿98.7
$2.10PKR 583
40.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.48฿885
$13.70PKR 3,793
93.28%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$6.57฿219
$5.56PKR 1,539
18.17%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.14PKR 591
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.46PKR 1,234
-
Cappuccino
$2.02฿67.5
$1.98PKR 549
2.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71฿23.64
$0.37PKR 104
91.89%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34฿11.24
$0.21PKR 58.0
61.90%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.28฿76.1
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62฿121
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.76฿58.8
$0.88PKR 243
100.00%
White Bread(500g)
$1.40฿46.67
$0.59PKR 163
137.29%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.27฿42.35
$1.21PKR 336
4.96%
Eggs
$2.05฿68.6
$1.22PKR 337
68.03%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$16.65฿556
$5.66PKR 1,566
194.17%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$2.92฿97.5
$2.82PKR 779
3.55%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$10.99฿367
$5.19PKR 1,436
111.75%
Apples(1kg)
$2.83฿94.5
$1.21PKR 334
133.88%
Banana(1kg)
$1.30฿43.55
$0.65PKR 181
100.00%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.04฿68.1
$0.89PKR 247
129.21%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.74฿58.2
$0.59PKR 164
194.92%
Potato(1kg)
$1.48฿49.44
$0.31PKR 84.8
377.42%
Onion(1kg)
$1.28฿42.66
$0.41PKR 114
212.20%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.15฿38.46
$0.35PKR 95.5
228.57%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54฿17.89
$0.38PKR 104
42.11%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$2.07PKR 573
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.12PKR 309
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.25PKR 624
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40฿147
$2.13PKR 590
106.57%
Wine(Bottle)
$17.20฿575
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73฿57.7
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77฿92.6
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.87฿29.06
$0.16PKR 44.06
443.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$35.04฿1,171
$10.15PKR 2,810
245.22%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.17฿39.08
$0.88PKR 244
32.95%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.15฿38.35
$0.53PKR 146
116.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$5.88฿197
$2.12PKR 586
177.36%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.40฿46.73
$1.25PKR 346
12.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.9K฿1.1M
$18.2KPKR 5.0M
75.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K฿882.1K
$23.6KPKR 6.5M
11.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$82.4฿2,753
$109PKR 30.3K
-24.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.49฿418
$5.40PKR 1,495
131.30%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.61฿622
$16.19PKR 4,480
14.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$48.67฿1,627
$17.15PKR 4,746
183.79%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.48฿384
$11.40PKR 3,155
0.70%
Cinema Ticket
$6.74฿225
$4.36PKR 1,206
54.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$529฿17.7K
$46.28PKR 12.8K
1044.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$12.0K฿402.4K
$1,513PKR 418.7K
695.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7฿1,795
$17.14PKR 4,745
213.36%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.09฿1,072
$23.35PKR 6,462
37.43%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$89.4฿2,989
$75.7PKR 21.0K
18.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.7฿2,695
$35.05PKR 9,701
130.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$468฿15.6K
$141PKR 39.0K
232.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$286฿9,543
$78.9PKR 21.8K
262.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,251฿41.8K
$322PKR 89.1K
288.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$681฿22.8K
$172PKR 47.7K
295.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,628฿121.3K
$1,047PKR 289.7K
246.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,945฿65.0K
$523PKR 144.7K
272.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thailand
Pakistan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$563฿18.8K
$189PKR 52.4K
197.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.67
14.1
-59.79%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Thailand: October 19, 2026
Last update for Pakistan: October 18, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Thailand
$286 29.8%
Pakistan
$79 16.7% ↓ 72.4%$207
🛒Groceries & Markets
Thailand
$248 25.8%
Pakistan
$95 20.1% ↓ 61.6%$153
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Thailand
$115 12%
Pakistan
$68 14.4% ↓ 40.9%$47
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thailand
$113 11.8%
Pakistan
$131 27.7% ↑ 15.5%$18
🍽Eating Out
Thailand
$90 9.4%
Pakistan
$60 12.6% ↓ 34%$31
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Thailand
$62 6.5%
Pakistan
$26 5.5% ↓ 58.4%$36
🚌Getting Around
Thailand
$45 4.7%
Pakistan
$14 3% ↓ 68.5%$31
🏠Accommodation & Living
Thailand
$681 31.6%
Pakistan
$172 17.8% ↓ 74.7%$509
🛒Groceries & Markets
Thailand
$559 25.9%
Pakistan
$231 23.8% ↓ 58.7%$328
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Thailand
$256 11.9%
Pakistan
$151 15.6% ↓ 40.9%$105
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thailand
$126 5.8%
Pakistan
$136 14.1% ↑ 8.3%$10
🍽Eating Out
Thailand
$306 14.2%
Pakistan
$185 19.2% ↓ 39.4%$121
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Thailand
$136 6.3%
Pakistan
$63 6.5% ↓ 53.5%$73
🚌Getting Around
Thailand
$93 4.3%
Pakistan
$29 3% ↓ 68.8%$64
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $461 in Thailand, $124 in Pakistan. Capital cities: $673 in Bangkok vs $269 in Islamabad.
💰National salary averages: $614 in Thailand, $185 in Pakistan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 272% higher in Thailand.
⭐Dining out costs 108% more in Thailand.
⭐Salaries are 232% higher in Thailand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Thailand.
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
Thailand vs Pakistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Pakistan and Thailand?
At $473 per month in Pakistan and $960 in Thailand, there's a 103% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $461 in Thailand and $124 in Pakistan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget in Pakistan or in Thailand?
In Pakistan, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Thailand it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Pakistan or to Thailand?
It depends on what you're after: Pakistan wins on affordability; Thailand may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.