Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zamboanga and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $748 in Zamboanga, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $748 in Zamboanga versus $483 in Karachi.

Zamboanga $748
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,123 in Zamboanga versus $754 in Karachi.

Zamboanga $1,123
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Zamboanga versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Zamboanga $1,497
Karachi $1,025

Living in Zamboanga is roughly 55% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zamboanga 45% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.33 ₱83.5

$2.11 PKR 585

-36.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.41 ₱1,033

$13.73 PKR 3,801

19.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.50 ₱220

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-36.71%

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

$2.09 ₱132

$2.14 PKR 593

-2.34%

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

$0.86 ₱54.0

$0.40 PKR 111

115.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱24.88

$0.28 PKR 77.7

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₱90.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ₱110

$0.90 PKR 250

94.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ₱89.0

$0.55 PKR 153

156.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.20 PKR 333

-3.33%

Eggs

$1.46 ₱91.7

$1.25 PKR 346

16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₱630

$5.96 PKR 1,650

67.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 ₱255

$3.19 PKR 883

26.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.33 ₱209

$6.48 PKR 1,793

-48.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ₱200

$1.24 PKR 344

155.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ₱74.1

$0.53 PKR 147

122.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₱241

$1.03 PKR 284

270.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$0.51 PKR 142

127.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ₱79.6

$0.31 PKR 85.1

306.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$0.31 PKR 87.1

725.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱54.4

$0.41 PKR 113

109.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.39

$0.44 PKR 120

15.91%

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)

$2.74 ₱172

$1.83 PKR 508

49.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱266

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱82.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.88

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.19 ₱704

$9.81 PKR 2,716

14.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$0.87 PKR 240

-5.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$0.74 PKR 204

-68.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$2.23 PKR 617

-15.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.4

$1.38 PKR 383

-26.09%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

18.46%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-26.51%

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

$124 ₱7,826

$113 PKR 31.4K

9.73%

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

$15.48 ₱975

$6.12 PKR 1,694

152.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.25 ₱2,975

$13.11 PKR 3,628

260.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 ₱2,250

$21.78 PKR 6,029

64.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.67 ₱294

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-74.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$4.26 PKR 1,179

19.01%

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

$133 ₱8,372

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

155.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,082 ₱508.9K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

316.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.93 ₱2,073

$17.53 PKR 4,852

87.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,215

$22.88 PKR 6,332

-15.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ₱4,457

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ₱3,505

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.8K

$118 PKR 32.5K

126.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₱11.0K

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

138.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₱20.9K

$360 PKR 99.6K

-7.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₱22.6K

$188 PKR 52.1K

90.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱149.0K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

118.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 ₱62.9K

$474 PKR 131.2K

110.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$193 ₱12.2K

$182 PKR 50.4K

6.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.21

-48.60%

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

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zamboanga

$187 25%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 29.2% $55

Groceries & Markets

Zamboanga

$184 24.6%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 44.5% $82

Accommodation & Living

Zamboanga

$175 23.3%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 58.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Zamboanga

$80 10.7%

Karachi

$68 14% 16% $13

Eating Out

Zamboanga

$62 8.4%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 0.9% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Zamboanga

$46 6.1%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 34% $16

Getting Around

Zamboanga

$14 1.9%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 10.2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Zamboanga and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zamboanga pays 6% 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: $16.00 in Zamboanga vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

22:46 10:46 PM

3 h behind Zamboanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Zamboanga Karachi 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Zamboanga
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

Zamboanga vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zamboanga and Karachi differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($748 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Zamboanga, 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: $266 in Zamboanga versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $748 per month in Zamboanga versus $483 in Karachi – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 14% less than in Zamboanga. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Zamboanga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.