Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $641 in Bandung, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung 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 Bandung and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Bandung versus $490 in Karachi.

Bandung $641
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $947 in Bandung versus $755 in Karachi.

Bandung $947
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,252 in Bandung versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Bandung $1,252
Karachi $1,019

Living in Bandung is roughly 31% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 52% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.42 Rp 25.4K

$2.15 PKR 596

-33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 Rp 252.5K

$13.37 PKR 3,700

5.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.31 Rp 59.1K

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-37.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.5K

$2.11 PKR 583

-29.86%

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

$0.47 Rp 8,397

$0.37 PKR 103

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,921

$0.28 PKR 78.2

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 Rp 55.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 53.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.1K

$0.86 PKR 238

31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

$0.52 PKR 144

90.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 Rp 15.7K

$1.24 PKR 344

-29.03%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

$1.24 PKR 342

18.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 Rp 131.6K

$5.86 PKR 1,622

25.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.81 Rp 50.3K

$3.12 PKR 862

-9.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 138.6K

$6.25 PKR 1,731

24.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.1K

$1.29 PKR 356

69.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 Rp 19.1K

$0.54 PKR 150

98.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 Rp 26.8K

$0.99 PKR 273

51.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 Rp 17.1K

$0.56 PKR 155

71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Rp 19.6K

$0.33 PKR 91.6

233.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 34.8K

$0.35 PKR 95.9

457.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 Rp 12.5K

$0.45 PKR 124

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,728

$0.44 PKR 121

-2.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

$1.79 PKR 497

46.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.77 Rp 407.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 Rp 56.8K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,788

$0.28 PKR 76.5

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.61 Rp 171.7K

$9.68 PKR 2,679

-0.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 Rp 15.3K

$0.92 PKR 255

-6.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 Rp 9,771

$0.71 PKR 196

-22.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 Rp 39.8K

$2.22 PKR 615

0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

$1.35 PKR 372

-33.33%

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

$21.1K Rp 376.3M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

18.00%

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

$29.2K Rp 522.8M

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

9.37%

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

$33.58 Rp 600.2K

$112 PKR 30.9K

-69.96%

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

$4.25 Rp 75.9K

$6.05 PKR 1,673

-29.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.25 Rp 344.1K

$13.29 PKR 3,679

44.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.05 Rp 322.6K

$21.51 PKR 5,954

-16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.00 Rp 107.3K

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-66.29%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 50.8K

$4.42 PKR 1,222

-35.75%

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

$95.7 Rp 1.7M

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

88.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,240 Rp 147.3M

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

321.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.08 Rp 698.5K

$17.57 PKR 4,862

122.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 Rp 575.3K

$22.78 PKR 6,304

41.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 Rp 1.4M

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

13.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 Rp 1.2M

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

69.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 Rp 3.8M

$117 PKR 32.5K

82.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 Rp 3.2M

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

135.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 Rp 6.8M

$365 PKR 101.1K

4.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$182 PKR 50.5K

46.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$725 Rp 13.0M

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

-31.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$312 Rp 5.6M

$491 PKR 135.8K

-36.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$281 Rp 5.0M

$185 PKR 51.2K

52.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

13.21

-13.85%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$194 30.9%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 48.1% $94

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$178 28.4%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 57.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$98 15.6%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 31.5% $31

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 3.6% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 130% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$24 3.8%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 27.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Bandung

$14 2.3%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 6.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $214 in Bandung and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 52% 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: $14.00 in Bandung vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

2 h behind Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandung Karachi 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
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

Bandung vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Bandung, 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: $214 in Bandung versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Bandung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $14.00 in Bandung. 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 work as nomad bases, but Karachi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $490 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Karachi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bandung 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 31% less than in Bandung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.