Karachi American School
AmericanInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inKarachi, Pakistan
Sindh, Pakistan16.8MLower middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Aliraza Khatri
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 4.1x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Pakistan: $5,617/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 79% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
4.7x further
Prices are 79% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
29x further
Prices are 97% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
5.1x further
Prices are 80% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
5.2x further
Prices are 81% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Lower Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$5,617
PPP, International $
City Population
16.8M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$138/mo
1BR Outside Center$82/mo
3BR City Center$329/mo
3BR Outside Center$210/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$1.79
Mid-Range (2 people)$13
Milk (1L)$0.85
Eggs (12)$1.21
Transport
Monthly Pass$8.94
Gasoline (1L)$0.97
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$109/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$12/mo
Education
Preschool$57/mo
Intl Primary School$1,624/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Pakistan as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Karachi.
Quality
Limited public-school fit
Expat access
Usually not practical for expats
not practicalInstruction
Urdu / English
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Pakistan's public-school path is too uneven to be the default recommendation for relocating expat families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident enrollment can be possible, but Urdu-medium instruction, uneven quality, and limited expat-facing support make the public route usually impractical.
❓ Homeschooling
Legal gray areaMinimal requirements
Pakistan has compulsory education laws but limited enforcement of school attendance. Homeschooling exists in a gray area; many families use correspondence or online schools. The British Council and AKU-EB offer remote examination services usable by homeschoolers.
Homeschool legality in Pakistan — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
- American1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Karachi, Pakistan.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$200-$300
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$350-$500
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Karachi: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 68/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
68/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
International airport
Jinnah International is Pakistan’s busiest air gateway and gives Karachi the country’s strongest international and domestic connectivity.
Urban transit
BRT and bus
brt busbus
Karachi remains road-heavy overall, but the Green Line and other structured bus corridors give the city a more formal transit spine than many peer megacities in the region.
Rideshare
Careem and inDrive available
App-hailed rides are a practical fallback for airport runs and trips outside the strongest bus and BRT corridors.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Pakistan.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
1,964 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, hospital capacity looks tighter, and households still pay a large share themselves weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
GoodA large tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
56/100
2023
Physicians
1.16/1k
2021
Hospital beds
0.63/1k
2020
Out of pocket
53%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
67.8 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
155/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
36.1/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 761Clinic: 476Pharmacy: 429Laboratory: 125Doctor: 91Dentist: 68Physiotherapy: 14
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Pakistan yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College
Hospital · Emergency
Laser City Hair Transplant, Aesthetic & Cosmetic Surgery Centre
Hospital · Emergency
Hair_TransplantsurgerySkin_ClinicLaser_Hair_Removal
Uzma Medical Centre (Previously known as Uzma Maternity Home UMH)
Hospital · Emergency
Abdus Samad Memorial Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Baqai Medical University · Rheumatology Unit
Hospital · Emergency
Baqai Foot Care Clinic
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index42/100
Crime Index58/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-2.25
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2025 annual wages in Karachi, Pakistan · Source: PBS LFS (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
big mac
$3.90Estimated37% cheaper
bread 500g
$0.68Estimated80% cheaper
budget hotel
$63.14Survey-verified74% more
childcare preschool
$57.29Estimated96% cheaper
eggs dozen
$1.21Estimated75% cheaper
gasoline liter
$11.48Survey-verified1014% more
inexpensive meal
$3.55Survey-verified83% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$12.29Estimated82% cheaper
luxury hotel
$63.14Survey-verified87% cheaper
milk liter
$0.85Estimated30% cheaper
monthly pass
$11.48Survey-verified83% cheaper
rent 1br
$186.39Survey-verified90% cheaper
rent 3br
$329.42Estimated90% cheaper
taxi km
$0.94Estimated50% cheaper
utilities basic
$109.04Estimated49% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
eta
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Karachi compared with the US?
Your money goes about 4.1x further in Karachi than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Karachi cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Karachi is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 79% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Karachi.
How does rent in Karachi compare with New York City?
Rent in Karachi is about 97% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Karachi?
Groceries in Karachi are about 80% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 81% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Karachi
Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and primary port, with roughly 12 million residents along the Arabian Sea coast and a metropolitan population that estimates push past 16 million. The city handles the majority of Pakistani imports and exports, headquarters most domestic banks and the Karachi Stock Exchange, and hosts the country's most cosmopolitan business community. Relocators are predominantly corporate, diplomatic, or NGO transferees rather than independent movers, given security considerations that vary sharply by neighborhood and have shaped daily routines for decades. Defence Housing Authority and Clifton hold most expat housing and international schooling, the climate is hot and humid with a short monsoon, and water shortages and power load-shedding remain practical constraints that compound during summer.
Hot, humid subtropical climate with extreme summers (40°C+)Good 4G/5G mobile internet but inconsistent fixed-line reliabilitySmall but growing expat community, mostly professional workersLow walkability outside central areas, car-dependentExceptional street food and seafood scene, ultra-affordable diningLimited nightlife due to cultural norms, private venues main optionEmerging coworking spaces in Clifton and DHA, growing startup sceneSecurity varies by neighborhood; avoid certain areas, research districts carefully
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