Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $668 in Balikpapan, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balikpapan and in Karachi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balikpapan and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Balikpapan versus $482 in Karachi.

Balikpapan $668
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,048 in Balikpapan versus $750 in Karachi.

Balikpapan $1,048
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,428 in Balikpapan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Balikpapan $1,428
Karachi $1,018

Living in Balikpapan is roughly 39% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Balikpapan 51% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$2.13 PKR 588

-34.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-17.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-44.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$2.09 PKR 579

-34.93%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 Rp 6,712

$0.40 PKR 111

-7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,871

$0.26 PKR 71.1

46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$0.92 PKR 254

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$0.56 PKR 156

91.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.25 PKR 345

-7.20%

Eggs

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

$1.23 PKR 341

106.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

$3.16 PKR 876

-7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

$1.26 PKR 348

78.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$0.53 PKR 148

145.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.00 PKR 276

76.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.56 PKR 154

126.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

$0.33 PKR 91.4

281.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

458.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$0.42 PKR 116

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.44 PKR 121

63.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$1.84 PKR 509

2.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,219

$0.28 PKR 77.0

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

$0.92 PKR 256

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,777

$0.70 PKR 193

-45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

$2.16 PKR 597

19.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.38 PKR 382

-44.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

30.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

14.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-40.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-26.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

126.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

10.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-53.59%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-32.54%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

78.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

341.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

117.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-20.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 Rp 2.5M

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

104.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

74.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 Rp 3.7M

$118 PKR 32.7K

71.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

100.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 Rp 9.7M

$357 PKR 98.9K

50.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$188 PKR 52.0K

91.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

18.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$818 Rp 14.7M

$481 PKR 133.1K

70.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$183 PKR 50.6K

30.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

13.21

-28.39%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 51% $105

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$148 22.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 50.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$121 18.1%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 43.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$102 15.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 30.4% $31

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$57 8.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 6.3% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 1.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 270% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $203 in Balikpapan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balikpapan pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Balikpapan vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

3 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Karachi 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
Karachi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Balikpapan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balikpapan and Karachi differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($668 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Balikpapan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $203 in Balikpapan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $93.1 in Balikpapan versus $52.2 in Karachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $11.00 in Balikpapan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Balikpapan and Karachi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Balikpapan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.