Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cimahi and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $559 in Cimahi, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Cimahi despite lower rent and utilities.

Cimahi
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$559
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $559 in Cimahi versus $482 in Karachi.

  • Cimahi $559
  • Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $930 in Cimahi versus $750 in Karachi.

  • Cimahi $930
  • Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,300 in Cimahi versus $1,018 in Karachi.

  • Cimahi $1,300
  • Karachi $1,018

Living in Cimahi is roughly 16% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cimahi 59% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.72 Rp 30.9K
$2.13 PKR 588
-19.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.10 Rp 253.8K
$13.30 PKR 3,680
6.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.28 Rp 59.0K
$5.45 PKR 1,508
-39.82%
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
$1.47 Rp 26.4K
$2.09 PKR 579
-29.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,347
$0.40 PKR 111
15.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 Rp 4,323
$0.26 PKR 71.1
-7.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 Rp 44.0K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 Rp 55.5K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 Rp 20.2K
$0.92 PKR 254
21.74%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 Rp 17.6K
$0.56 PKR 156
75.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.25 PKR 345
-29.60%
Eggs
$1.47 Rp 26.5K
$1.23 PKR 341
19.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.33 Rp 131.9K
$5.67 PKR 1,570
29.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.92 Rp 52.6K
$3.16 PKR 876
-7.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.74 Rp 139.3K
$6.28 PKR 1,737
23.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$1.26 PKR 348
81.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 19.9K
$0.53 PKR 148
109.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.48 Rp 26.7K
$1.00 PKR 276
48.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.88 Rp 15.8K
$0.56 PKR 154
57.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.05 Rp 18.9K
$0.33 PKR 91.4
218.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.5K
$0.34 PKR 95.1
479.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 Rp 12.6K
$0.42 PKR 116
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,184
$0.44 PKR 121
-9.09%
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)
$2.66 Rp 47.8K
$1.84 PKR 509
44.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.89 Rp 375.9K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 Rp 34.4K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 Rp 54.1K
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 Rp 4,899
$0.28 PKR 77.0
-3.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.99 PKR 2,764
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.54 Rp 9,733
$0.92 PKR 256
-41.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 Rp 5,744
$0.70 PKR 193
-54.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.34 Rp 42.1K
$2.16 PKR 597
8.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.38 PKR 382
-36.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K Rp 378.9M
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
17.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.1K Rp 523.1M
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
7.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.78 Rp 608.0K
$113 PKR 31.4K
-70.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.40 Rp 79.2K
$5.95 PKR 1,648
-26.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.12 Rp 344.2K
$13.16 PKR 3,642
45.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.33 Rp 348.0K
$21.55 PKR 5,965
-10.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.05 Rp 162.8K
$18.23 PKR 5,044
-50.36%
Cinema Ticket
$2.84 Rp 51.1K
$4.21 PKR 1,165
-32.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.8 Rp 1.7M
$52.2 PKR 14.4K
81.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,303 Rp 149.5M
$1,940 PKR 537.0K
327.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.60 Rp 694.9K
$17.55 PKR 4,858
119.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.40 Rp 511.2K
$23.51 PKR 6,506
20.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.5 Rp 1.3M
$68.9 PKR 19.1K
5.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.2 Rp 1.3M
$40.59 PKR 11.2K
75.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$214 Rp 3.9M
$118 PKR 32.7K
81.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$126 Rp 2.3M
$73.6 PKR 20.4K
70.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$512 Rp 9.2M
$357 PKR 98.9K
43.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$357 Rp 6.4M
$188 PKR 52.0K
89.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,102 Rp 19.8M
$1,060 PKR 293.4K
3.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$819 Rp 14.7M
$481 PKR 133.1K
70.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cimahi
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$254 Rp 4.6M
$183 PKR 50.6K
39.05%
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 Cimahi: 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
Cimahi
$191
Karachi
$101 46.9% $89
Accommodation & Living
Cimahi
$126
Karachi
$74 41.5% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Cimahi
$95
Karachi
$68 28.6% $27
Eating Out
Cimahi
$62
Karachi
$61 2.1% $1.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cimahi
$57
Karachi
$133 131% $75
Sport & Entertainment
Cimahi
$25
Karachi
$30 19.8% $5
Getting Around
Cimahi
$3.2 *
Karachi
$16 382% $12

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 $214 in Cimahi and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cimahi pays 39% 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 Cimahi vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Cimahi
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
17:14 5:14 PM
15:14 3:14 PM
2 h behind Cimahi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
561,386
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cimahi Karachi 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cimahi
  • 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
Cimahi vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cimahi or Karachi?
Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Cimahi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Cimahi or in Karachi?
Average pay runs 39% higher in Cimahi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cimahi compared to Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $214 in Cimahi versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Cimahi or in Karachi?
Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Cimahi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Cimahi compared to Karachi?
All in, you'll spend $559 per month in Cimahi versus $482 in Karachi – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Cimahi or in Karachi?
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.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cimahi or Karachi?
Both work as nomad bases, but Karachi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $482 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Karachi hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Cimahi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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