Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $881 in Alor Setar, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
Learn more

Alor Setar Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Alor Setar

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

A single person spends $482 per month in Karachi vs $881 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Karachi $482
Alor Setar $881

A couple spends around $750 per month in Karachi vs $1,277 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Karachi $750
Alor Setar $1,277

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Karachi vs $1,672 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Karachi $1,018
Alor Setar $1,672

Karachi is about 45% cheaper than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Alor Setar are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Alor Setar 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$2.08 MYR 8.48

2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$12.30 MYR 50.2

8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.28 MYR 17.44

27.34%

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

$2.09 PKR 579

$1.82 MYR 7.40

14.84%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.56 MYR 2.30

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.30 MYR 1.24

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.68

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.60 MYR 6.51

-42.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.85 MYR 3.49

-34.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.68 MYR 6.85

-25.60%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.51 MYR 6.17

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$13.63 MYR 55.6

-58.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.35 MYR 17.76

-27.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$8.75 MYR 35.68

-28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.94 MYR 11.98

-57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.24 MYR 5.04

-57.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.72 MYR 11.10

-63.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.45 MYR 5.91

-61.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.06 MYR 4.33

-68.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.13 MYR 4.62

-69.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.10 MYR 4.48

-61.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.54 MYR 2.18

-18.52%

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)

$1.84 PKR 509

$4.50 MYR 18.37

-59.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 MYR 77.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 MYR 21.88

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-64.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$10.78 MYR 43.98

-7.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-44.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.40 MYR 1.65

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$7.37 MYR 30.08

-70.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.51 MYR 2.09

170.59%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$41.8K MYR 170.3K

-57.13%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$35.9K MYR 146.6K

-24.64%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$37.61 MYR 153

201.65%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$7.49 MYR 30.57

-20.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-39.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$39.96 MYR 163

-46.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$7.19 MYR 29.33

153.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.95 MYR 20.19

-14.95%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$427 MYR 1,741

-87.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

-81.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$60.3 MYR 246

-70.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$34.46 MYR 141

-31.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$82.4 MYR 336

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$68.8 MYR 281

-40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$371 MYR 1,513

-68.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$305 MYR 1,246

-75.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$662 MYR 2,700

-45.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$449 MYR 1,831

-58.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,986 MYR 8,103

-46.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$970 MYR 3,958

-50.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$1,642 MYR 6,697

-88.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.04

226.98%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Alor Setar

$67 7.6% 49.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Alor Setar

$246 27.9% 143% $144

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Alor Setar

$305 34.7% 315% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Alor Setar

$111 12.6% 63.4% $43

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Alor Setar

$85 9.6% 38.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Alor Setar

$50 5.7% 66.4% $20

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Alor Setar

$18 2% 13.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $371 in Alor Setar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 797% higher in Alor Setar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Karachi versus $12.00 in Alor Setar. Groceries tell a different story – $101 in Karachi vs $246 in Alor Setar – so Karachi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

423,868

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Alor Setar 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Alor Setar

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

Karachi vs Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alor Setar costs about 83% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $723 per month in Karachi and $1,321 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karachi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $52.2 per month in Karachi and $427 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 143% more in Alor Setar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $482 in Karachi and $881 in Alor Setar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karachi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alor Setar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.