Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
Learn more

Ulaanbaatar Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar versus $490 in Karachi.

Ulaanbaatar $1,159
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar versus $755 in Karachi.

Ulaanbaatar $1,881
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Ulaanbaatar $2,602
Karachi $1,019

Living in Ulaanbaatar is roughly 137% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulaanbaatar 13% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

$2.15 PKR 596

161.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

$13.37 PKR 3,700

139.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

$5.29 PKR 1,464

5.67%

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

$2.35 MNT 8,452

$2.11 PKR 583

11.37%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,130

$0.37 PKR 103

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MNT 2,225

$0.28 PKR 78.2

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 MNT 8,233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,064

$0.86 PKR 238

63.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,508

$0.52 PKR 144

88.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,672

$1.24 PKR 344

72.58%

Eggs

$2.11 MNT 7,596

$1.24 PKR 342

70.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

$5.86 PKR 1,622

110.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

$3.12 PKR 862

57.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

$6.25 PKR 1,731

8.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

$1.29 PKR 356

144.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,492

$0.54 PKR 150

337.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

$0.99 PKR 273

268.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

$0.56 PKR 155

455.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MNT 2,586

$0.33 PKR 91.6

118.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MNT 3,700

$0.35 PKR 95.9

194.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 MNT 6,281

$0.45 PKR 124

288.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MNT 2,610

$0.44 PKR 121

65.91%

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)

$1.66 MNT 5,961

$1.79 PKR 497

-7.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MNT 5,403

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MNT 6,246

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MNT 1,045

$0.28 PKR 76.5

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

$9.68 PKR 2,679

72.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,952

$0.92 PKR 255

-41.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MNT 1,863

$0.71 PKR 196

-26.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

$2.22 PKR 615

192.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,016

$1.35 PKR 372

-17.04%

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

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

53.51%

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

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

28.15%

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

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

$112 PKR 30.9K

-36.40%

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

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

$6.05 PKR 1,673

24.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

$13.29 PKR 3,679

4.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

$21.51 PKR 5,954

211.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

$17.80 PKR 4,927

1.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$4.42 PKR 1,222

-4.07%

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

$814 MNT 2.9M

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1504.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

327.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

$17.57 PKR 4,862

362.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

$22.78 PKR 6,304

100.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MNT 364.2K

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

49.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 MNT 661.7K

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

349.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MNT 2.1M

$117 PKR 32.5K

392.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MNT 1.6M

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

485.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

$365 PKR 101.1K

354.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MNT 3.6M

$182 PKR 50.5K

443.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

80.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 MNT 3.5M

$491 PKR 135.8K

98.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MNT 2.1M

$185 PKR 51.2K

220.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

13.21

-21.88%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 82.9% $367

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 57% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 63.9% $119

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 46.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 41.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 59.8% $45

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 27.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $578 in Ulaanbaatar and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulaanbaatar pays 221% 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: $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

3 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 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 MNT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Karachi 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
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

Ulaanbaatar vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulaanbaatar and Karachi differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($1,159 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 221% higher in Ulaanbaatar, 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: $578 in Ulaanbaatar versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,159 per month in Ulaanbaatar versus $490 in Karachi – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 73% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Ulaanbaatar. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.