Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Bandung

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.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
Learn more

Bandung Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Bandung

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 Bandung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Karachi $490
Bandung $641

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

Karachi $755
Bandung $947

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

Karachi $1,019
Bandung $1,252

Living in Karachi costs roughly 24% less than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$1.42 Rp 25.4K

51.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$14.13 Rp 252.5K

-5.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$3.31 Rp 59.1K

59.82%

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

$2.11 PKR 583

$1.48 Rp 26.5K

42.57%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.47 Rp 8,397

-21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.22 Rp 3,921

27.27%

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)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.13 Rp 20.1K

-23.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

-47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.88 Rp 15.7K

40.91%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

-15.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$7.36 Rp 131.6K

-20.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$2.81 Rp 50.3K

11.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$7.75 Rp 138.6K

-19.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$2.19 Rp 39.1K

-41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.07 Rp 19.1K

-49.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.50 Rp 26.8K

-34.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.96 Rp 17.1K

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.10 Rp 19.6K

-70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.95 Rp 34.8K

-82.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.70 Rp 12.5K

-35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.43 Rp 7,728

2.33%

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)

$1.79 PKR 497

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

-31.68%

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)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.27 Rp 4,788

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$9.61 Rp 171.7K

0.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$0.86 Rp 15.3K

6.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.55 Rp 9,771

29.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$2.23 Rp 39.8K

-0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

50.00%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$21.1K Rp 376.3M

-15.25%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$29.2K Rp 522.8M

-8.57%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$33.58 Rp 600.2K

232.94%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$4.25 Rp 75.9K

42.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$19.25 Rp 344.1K

-30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$18.05 Rp 322.6K

19.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$6.00 Rp 107.3K

196.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$2.84 Rp 50.8K

55.63%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$95.7 Rp 1.7M

-47.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$8,240 Rp 147.3M

-76.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$39.08 Rp 698.5K

-55.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$32.18 Rp 575.3K

-29.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$76.5 Rp 1.4M

-11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$69.5 Rp 1.2M

-41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$214 Rp 3.8M

-45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$178 Rp 3.2M

-57.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$381 Rp 6.8M

-4.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$266 Rp 4.8M

-31.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$725 Rp 13.0M

45.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$312 Rp 5.6M

57.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$281 Rp 5.0M

-34.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

11.38

16.08%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 56.5% $74

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Bandung

$194 30.9% 92.8% $94

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Bandung

$178 28.4% 136% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Bandung

$98 15.6% 45.9% $31

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 3.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Bandung

$24 3.8% 21.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Bandung

$14 2.3% 6.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $214 in Bandung. 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: $13.00 in Karachi vs $14.00 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $194 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Bandung 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Bandung

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 Bandung: 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.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Bandung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $117 in Karachi versus $214 in Bandung. 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, Karachi and Bandung 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.