Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulan Ude and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,098 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,098 in Ulan Ude versus $490 in Karachi.

Ulan Ude $1,098
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,685 in Ulan Ude versus $755 in Karachi.

Ulan Ude $1,685
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,272 in Ulan Ude versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Ulan Ude $2,272
Karachi $1,019

Living in Ulan Ude is roughly 124% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulan Ude 18% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 ₽579

$2.15 PKR 596

216.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 ₽3,969

$13.37 PKR 3,700

248.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ₽591

$5.29 PKR 1,464

31.38%

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

$3.47 ₽296

$2.11 PKR 583

64.45%

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

$1.80 ₽154

$0.37 PKR 103

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₽147

$0.28 PKR 78.2

517.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₽310

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 ₽488

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₽107

$0.86 PKR 238

46.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 ₽71.7

$0.52 PKR 144

61.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 ₽38.68

$1.24 PKR 344

-63.71%

Eggs

$1.88 ₽160

$1.24 PKR 342

51.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 ₽987

$5.86 PKR 1,622

97.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ₽502

$3.12 PKR 862

89.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 ₽885

$6.25 PKR 1,731

66.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₽103

$1.29 PKR 356

-6.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽152

$0.54 PKR 150

231.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 ₽99.3

$0.99 PKR 273

18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 ₽198

$0.56 PKR 155

314.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.94

$0.33 PKR 91.6

75.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ₽71.5

$0.35 PKR 95.9

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.47 ₽295

$0.45 PKR 124

671.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₽62.0

$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)

$2.85 ₽243

$1.79 PKR 497

59.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 ₽695

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽49.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽101

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₽38.80

$0.28 PKR 76.5

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 ₽1,972

$9.68 PKR 2,679

139.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ₽103

$0.92 PKR 255

31.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₽14.61

$0.71 PKR 196

-76.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ₽605

$2.22 PKR 615

219.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 ₽66.1

$1.35 PKR 372

-42.22%

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

$47.6K ₽4.0M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

166.79%

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

$35.1K ₽3.0M

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

31.18%

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

$118 ₽10.1K

$112 PKR 30.9K

5.86%

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

$3.50 ₽298

$6.05 PKR 1,673

-42.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 ₽698

$13.29 PKR 3,679

-38.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.55 ₽2,004

$21.51 PKR 5,954

9.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.08 ₽4,091

$17.80 PKR 4,927

170.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ₽585

$4.42 PKR 1,222

55.43%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ₽5,992

$17.57 PKR 4,862

300.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 ₽2,503

$22.78 PKR 6,304

29.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₽9,919

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

72.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 ₽10.1K

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

190.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 ₽42.6K

$117 PKR 32.5K

326.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ₽31.5K

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

389.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₽65.7K

$365 PKR 101.1K

111.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 ₽49.3K

$182 PKR 50.5K

217.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 ₽168.2K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

87.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 ₽130.9K

$491 PKR 135.8K

213.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$884 ₽75.2K

$185 PKR 51.2K

378.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.67

13.21

64.04%

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

Last update for Ulan Ude: 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

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 79.6% $295

Groceries & Markets

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 51.2% $106

Eating Out

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 62.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 55.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulan Ude

$130 12%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 0.8% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 18.6% $6.9

Getting Around

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 43.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $501 in Ulan Ude and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulan Ude pays 378% 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: $47.00 in Ulan Ude vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

3 h behind Ulan Ude

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,138

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ulan Ude Karachi 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulan Ude
Karachi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ulan Ude vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulan Ude and Karachi differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($1,098 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 378% higher in Ulan Ude, 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: $501 in Ulan Ude versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Ulan Ude. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,098 per month in Ulan Ude versus $490 in Karachi – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Ulan Ude. 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 124% less than in Ulan Ude. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.