Pakistan
Islamabad makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You value stronger public spaces and everyday city life.
Islamabad vs Karachi
Islamabad is a planned, greener capital laid out beneath the Margalla Hills, with a gentle pace but a conservative social climate and thin job market. Karachi is the commercial engine: faster, larger and more career-oriented, with infrastructure and safety concerns to navigate.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Karachi makes sense if
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Islamabad58
Leads on nature & outdoors, city life, safety & health, work & family and moving & settling in; stands out for mountains and forests.
- 2Karachi41
Tied best on money with Islamabad, both 73; stands out for local culture and beach & sea.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Islamabad73Karachi73
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $144/mo
- $184/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- >100%
- >100%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 26
- 26
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 1–35%
- 1–35%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 258 days
- 310 days, leads
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 121 days, leads
- 278 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 61.2 µg/m³
- 60.3 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Islamabad69Karachi20
Beach & sea
110
- 1/10
- 5/10, leads
Mountains
110
- 9/10, leads
- 2/10
City parks
110
- 8/10, leads
- 3/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 9/10, leads
- 4/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Islamabad57Karachi36
Walkability
110
- 3/10
- 3/10
Public transport
110
- 3/10
- 3/10
Restaurants
110
- 6/10
- 9/10, leads
Public spaces
110
- 8/10, leads
- 3/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Islamabad53Karachi38
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 2.5, leads
- 5.5
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10, leads
- 3/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
English-speaking care
110
- 7/10, leads
- 6/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Islamabad49Karachi41
Job market
110
- 4/10
- 5/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Work–life balance
110
- 4/10, leads
- 2/10
Schools
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Islamabad45Karachi40
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 4/10, leads
- 5/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Flight connections
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 2/10
- 2/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 1/10
- 1/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 6/10
- 7/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 2/10
- 2/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Islamabad
A purpose-built capital of wide avenues and low-rise sectors, spacious and orderly by South Asian standards but spread out and built around the car. Walkability is poor and there is little of the dense, mixed-use street life found in older Pakistani cities.
Karachi
An enormous, densely packed metropolis on the scale of Bangkok's metro, with the relentless tempo of a commercial capital. It is built around the car, walkability is low, and neighbourhood quality varies sharply from one district to the next.
Safety
Islamabad
Day-to-day crime is low, noticeably so against Karachi, and violent incidents are rare for the region. The serious caveat is political stability, which scores at the floor here: Pakistan carries real volatility, and the capital sees periodic protests, security alerts and abrupt disruptions.
Karachi
Safety is one of the harder realities. Perceived safety is low, going out at night feels risky to many residents, and petty crime is common.
Work and healthcare
Islamabad
The local market is thin, with limited industry depth and professional networks. Private hospitals in the capital are among the country's better options and English is widely spoken in clinics, but the overall picture is modest.
Karachi
Some English-language work exists in Karachi, but the market is narrow for newcomers and concentrated in a few sectors. Care is uneven.
Culture and public life
Islamabad
Pakistani food is the real draw, with strong local cooking and a serviceable cafe scene, though the restaurant range trails livelier Karachi and the regional heavyweights. The wide boulevards and Faisal Mosque grounds impress, though it's car-centric and short on intimate squares.
Karachi
Food is the city's strongest card. Karachi is a sprawling megacity where garbage, dust and neglected infrastructure define the upkeep.
Summary
Islamabad fits someone seeking a calmer, greener and more orderly routine, if its limited work options and conservative atmosphere suit you. Karachi is the stronger base for career variety and food culture, with a much harder urban pace.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.