Pakistan, Karachi

Country Full Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Location: Pakistan is in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north.

Country Climate: Mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north.

Country Terrain: Flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west.

Major Languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi.

Major Religions: Islam.

Population: 13.2 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Pakistan is a semi-industrialized economy, which mainly encompasses textiles, chemicals, food processing, agriculture and other industries. The structure of the Pakistani economy has changed from a mainly agricultural base to a strong service base. Agriculture now only accounts for roughly 20% of the GDP, while the service sector accounts for 53% of the GDP.

Currency: Pakistan Rupee (PKR).

Inflation: 9.7% (2011 est.).

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan.

Karachi is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade. Karachi is also home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those that are involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research.

The cost of living in Karachi in Pakistan is low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Karachi in Pakistan is currently ranked 612 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very low compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 716 places that are more expensive, and 63 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 632 places that are more expensive, and 147 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are high compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 168 places that are more expensive, and 611 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 699 places that are more expensive, and 80 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 429 places that are more expensive, and 350 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are average compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 454 places that are more expensive, and 325 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 627 places that are more expensive, and 152 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are average compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 333 places that are more expensive, and 446 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 587 places that are more expensive, and 192 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 727 places that are more expensive, and 52 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very low compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 763 places that are more expensive, and 16 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 705 places that are more expensive, and 74 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 637 places that are more expensive, and 142 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Karachi in Pakistan are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Karachi in Pakistan is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Karachi in Pakistan are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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