Karachi - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Housing for the American personnel in the U.S. Foreign Service is amazing. Most of the housing is located in the same compound as the U.S. Consulate. The commute, if you call it that, is via foot, and it is about a five-to-seven minute walk from the Residence to the Consulate. USG employees are not permitted to self-drive and none of the USG employees have their own vehicles at post. The apartments have tile floors, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and in-unit washers and dryers. You may opt to have daily maid service for a fraction of the cost of hourly maid service in the U.S. - Aug 2015
For U.S. Consulate personnel, housing is new and on secure compounds. There are a few expat compounds in Karachi that have increased security, and many homes/apartments/colonies have high walls and their own strict security protocols. - Jun 2014
1-bedroom apartment. 5-minute communte time (if you walk slowly). There's a move to put some people off-compound. In that case, it'll be 3 bedrooms with a 20-40 minute commute (randomized timings of shuttles, so your start time can be anywhere between 5AM and 11AM) It hasn't happened yet, but the possibility exists. - Mar 2013
Housing for Consulate staff on the New Consulate Compound (NCC) consists of mostly one- and a few two-bedroom apartments in a three-storey building. The Marine Security Guard detachment has its own house, and there is a small house for the Consul General (both also on the NCC).The quarters are new and designed to US standards (mostly) but small. Because it’s new, the NCC landscaping is still somewhat lacking – the lawn is gravel, not grass, and all the trees are quite small. The commute, however, is a stroll across the compound. Off-compound housing is old, usually larger, and in a more lush environment. The commute can be 20-40 minutes each way. - Sep 2011
