KARACHI – Although the prices of utility bills, fruits, vegetables, and other daily essentials in Pakistan make it seem like we live in a very expensive country, three of the world’s cheapest cities are actually located in Pakistan.
At least, that is the claim made by Numbeo’s annual cost of living index.
This index reviewed data from January to June 2024, using New York City as the baseline.
The ranking of 218 cities worldwide considered aspects such as cost of living, rent, cost of living including rent, groceries, restaurant prices, and local purchasing power.
According to the list, the cheapest city in the world is Karachi, which is 81 percent cheaper than New York. Lahore is the second cheapest city.
Above Lahore is the Indian city of Kolkata, while Islamabad is the fourth cheapest city in the world, being 78.5 percent cheaper than New York.
On the other hand, Geneva, Switzerland, is the most expensive city in the world, being 1.7 percent more expensive than New York.
Following Geneva, Zurich is the second most expensive city, while New York is ranked third.
San Francisco in the US is fourth, and Boston is the fifth most expensive city.
Reykjavik, Iceland, is sixth, followed by Washington D.C. as the seventh most expensive city.
Three US cities — Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago — ranked as the eighth, ninth, and tenth most expensive cities, respectively.
