Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,056 in Johor Bahru, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Johor Bahru versus $482 in Karachi.

Johor Bahru $1,056
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,551 in Johor Bahru versus $750 in Karachi.

Johor Bahru $1,551
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,046 in Johor Bahru versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Johor Bahru $2,046
Karachi $1,018

Living in Johor Bahru is roughly 119% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Johor Bahru 22% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.56 MYR 14.53

$2.13 PKR 588

67.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 MYR 76.2

$13.30 PKR 3,680

40.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 MYR 20.11

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-9.54%

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

$2.86 MYR 11.67

$2.09 PKR 579

36.84%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.45

$0.40 PKR 111

110.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$0.26 PKR 71.1

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 MYR 25.31

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.79

$0.92 PKR 254

80.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$0.56 PKR 156

98.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.13

$1.25 PKR 345

20.00%

Eggs

$1.72 MYR 7.00

$1.23 PKR 341

39.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.86 MYR 72.9

$5.67 PKR 1,570

214.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$3.16 PKR 876

44.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 MYR 42.80

$6.28 PKR 1,737

67.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MYR 13.28

$1.26 PKR 348

158.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$0.53 PKR 148

220.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 MYR 15.96

$1.00 PKR 276

291.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.86

$0.56 PKR 154

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$0.33 PKR 91.4

345.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.74

$0.34 PKR 95.1

385.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$0.42 PKR 116

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$0.44 PKR 121

25.00%

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)

$4.17 MYR 17.01

$1.84 PKR 509

126.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 MYR 57.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 MYR 11.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MYR 2.90

$0.28 PKR 77.0

153.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.11 MYR 49.42

$9.99 PKR 2,764

21.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.90

$0.92 PKR 256

4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.70 PKR 193

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.50 MYR 38.75

$2.16 PKR 597

339.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$1.38 PKR 382

-39.86%

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

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

129.74%

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

$36.1K MYR 147.2K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

33.25%

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

$53.0 MYR 216

$113 PKR 31.4K

-53.26%

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

$10.99 MYR 44.84

$5.95 PKR 1,648

84.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.42 MYR 116

$13.16 PKR 3,642

115.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 MYR 161

$21.55 PKR 5,965

83.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.63 MYR 22.97

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-69.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.08

$4.21 PKR 1,165

16.86%

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

$161 MYR 658

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

209.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

130.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MYR 221

$17.55 PKR 4,858

209.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.54 MYR 67.5

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-29.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 MYR 332

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

18.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

139.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,109

$118 PKR 32.7K

338.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 MYR 1,620

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

439.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 MYR 3,673

$357 PKR 98.9K

151.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 MYR 2,548

$188 PKR 52.0K

232.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,019 MYR 8,238

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

90.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 MYR 4,759

$481 PKR 133.1K

142.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 MYR 4,325

$183 PKR 50.6K

479.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

13.21

-69.27%

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

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johor Bahru

$397 37.6%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 81.5% $324

Groceries & Markets

Johor Bahru

$267 25.3%

Karachi

$101 21% 62.1% $166

Eating Out

Johor Bahru

$118 11.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 48.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Johor Bahru

$112 10.6%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 39.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johor Bahru

$92 8.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 43.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Johor Bahru

$49 4.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 39.2% $19

Getting Around

Johor Bahru

$19 1.8%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 20% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Johor Bahru and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays 480% 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: $19.00 in Johor Bahru vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

09:48 9:48 AM

3 h behind Johor Bahru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

858,118

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Johor Bahru Karachi 4,720 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Johor Bahru
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

Johor Bahru vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johor Bahru and Karachi differ by about 119% in total monthly costs ($1,056 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 480% higher in Johor Bahru, 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: $517 in Johor Bahru versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $19.00 in Johor Bahru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,056 per month in Johor Bahru versus $482 in Karachi – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $482 in Karachi versus $1,056 in Johor Bahru, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Johor Bahru. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Johor Bahru 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 119% less than in Johor Bahru. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.