Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yala and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $895 in Yala, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Yala
🇹🇭 Thailand
$895
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$483
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Yala versus $483 in Karachi.

  • Yala $895
  • Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Yala versus $754 in Karachi.

  • Yala $1,487
  • Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,079 in Yala versus $1,025 in Karachi.

  • Yala $2,079
  • Karachi $1,025

Living in Yala is roughly 85% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yala 34% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.51 ฿50.3
$2.11 PKR 585
-28.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.70 ฿825
$13.73 PKR 3,801
79.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.73 ฿225
$5.53 PKR 1,531
21.70%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.20 PKR 609
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.37 PKR 2,040
-
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿64.0
$2.14 PKR 593
-10.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿18.76
$0.40 PKR 111
40.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 ฿5.42
$0.28 PKR 77.7
-42.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.90 ฿63.4
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 ฿110
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ฿51.3
$0.90 PKR 250
71.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 ฿40.90
$0.55 PKR 153
121.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.51
$1.20 PKR 333
10.83%
Eggs
$1.79 ฿59.7
$1.25 PKR 346
43.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.29 ฿611
$5.96 PKR 1,650
206.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.96 ฿98.8
$3.19 PKR 883
-7.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 ฿309
$6.48 PKR 1,793
42.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 ฿101
$1.24 PKR 344
143.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.14 ฿37.97
$0.53 PKR 147
115.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.09 ฿69.7
$1.03 PKR 284
102.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.95 ฿65.3
$0.51 PKR 142
282.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 ฿52.3
$0.31 PKR 85.1
406.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.44
$0.31 PKR 87.1
212.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 ฿39.17
$0.41 PKR 113
185.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.62
$0.44 PKR 120
20.45%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.31 PKR 362
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.33 PKR 369
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.42 PKR 670
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.87 ฿163
$1.83 PKR 508
166.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.33 ฿546
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 ฿54.8
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 ฿86.2
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Yala
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 ฿20.44
$0.28 PKR 76.8
117.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.81 PKR 2,716
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.12 ฿37.42
$0.87 PKR 240
28.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 ฿43.70
$0.74 PKR 204
77.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.43 ฿215
$2.23 PKR 617
188.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ฿47.43
$1.38 PKR 383
2.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.5K ฿887.0K
$18.4K PKR 5.1M
44.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿887.1K
$26.4K PKR 7.3M
0.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 ฿2,853
$113 PKR 31.4K
-24.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.99 ฿401
$6.12 PKR 1,694
95.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.46 ฿650
$13.11 PKR 3,628
48.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.07 ฿1,473
$21.78 PKR 6,029
102.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.69 ฿458
$18.27 PKR 5,058
-25.07%
Cinema Ticket
$6.63 ฿222
$4.26 PKR 1,179
55.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$589 ฿19.7K
$52.1 PKR 14.4K
1030.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿376.2K
$1,941 PKR 537.3K
479.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.88 ฿1,533
$17.53 PKR 4,852
161.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.27 ฿1,079
$22.88 PKR 6,332
41.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.6 ฿2,592
$68.1 PKR 18.8K
13.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.9 ฿2,704
$41.55 PKR 11.5K
94.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Yala
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$475 ฿15.9K
$118 PKR 32.5K
303.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$289 ฿9,662
$73.2 PKR 20.3K
295.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 ฿39.1K
$360 PKR 99.6K
224.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$759 ฿25.4K
$188 PKR 52.1K
302.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,762 ฿58.9K
$1,082 PKR 299.4K
62.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,405 ฿46.9K
$474 PKR 131.2K
196.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Yala
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$182 PKR 50.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
13.21
-57.83%

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

Last update for Yala: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Yala
$289
Karachi
$73 74.7% $216
Groceries & Markets
Yala
$241
Karachi
$102 57.7% $139
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yala
$117
Karachi
$133 13.4% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Yala
$106
Karachi
$68 36.6% $39
Eating Out
Yala
$74
Karachi
$62 16.5% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Yala
$57
Karachi
$30 47.1% $27
Getting Around
Yala
$10 *
Karachi
$15 53.3% $5.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $475 in Yala and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25.00 in Yala vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Yala
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
23:53 11:53 PM
21:53 9:53 PM
2 h behind Yala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
60,617
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Yala Karachi 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Yala
  • 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
Yala vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Yala and in Karachi?
Yala and Karachi differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Yala compared to Karachi?
You'd need roughly $1,343 in Yala and $725 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Yala and in Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $475 in Yala versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 136% higher in Yala. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Yala or Karachi?
All in, you'll spend $895 per month in Yala versus $483 in Karachi – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How far does $1,200 go in Yala compared to Karachi?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Yala and Karachi?
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.
Is Yala or Karachi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Yala 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.
Where should expats move: Yala or Karachi?
Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Yala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Yala vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?