Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $623 in Bukit Mertajam, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Bukit Mertajam despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam.

Karachi $482
Bukit Mertajam $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $979 in Bukit Mertajam.

Karachi $750
Bukit Mertajam $979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam.

Karachi $1,018
Bukit Mertajam $1,335

Living in Karachi costs roughly 23% less than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.93 MYR 7.87

10.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$20.63 MYR 84.2

-35.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$3.93 MYR 16.03

38.68%

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

$3.14 MYR 12.80

-33.44%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.72 MYR 2.93

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 MYR 17.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 MYR 24.69

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-47.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.12 MYR 4.58

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-35.57%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.52 MYR 10.26

-51.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$14.07 MYR 57.4

-59.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.34 MYR 17.71

-27.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.65 MYR 39.35

-34.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.49 MYR 14.24

-63.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.79 MYR 7.32

-70.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.31 MYR 9.42

-56.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.53 MYR 6.23

-63.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.33 MYR 5.42

-75.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.41 MYR 5.76

-75.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.12 MYR 4.57

-62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-34.33%

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

$4.32 MYR 17.64

-57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.48 MYR 79.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 MYR 14.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 MYR 20.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-22.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.25 MYR 5.11

-44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$5.03 MYR 20.50

-57.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.87 MYR 3.54

58.62%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

-56.60%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

-21.31%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$62.4 MYR 255

81.69%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.54 MYR 34.85

-30.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$26.31 MYR 107

-49.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.06 MYR 20.65

-16.80%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$242 MYR 989

-78.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

-85.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$71.6 MYR 292

-75.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$41.95 MYR 171

-43.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$87.5 MYR 357

-21.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$97.3 MYR 397

-58.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$567 MYR 2,312

-67.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.18

216.03%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6% 26.6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5% 168% $170

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5% 98.2% $67

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6% 68.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 66.2% $20

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2% 52% $8.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Bukit Mertajam pays 210% 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 $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $271 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

12:01 12:01 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

212,329

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Bukit Mertajam 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Bukit Mertajam differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $623 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 210% lower in Bukit Mertajam. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 168% higher in Bukit Mertajam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 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, Karachi and Bukit Mertajam 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 29% less than in Bukit Mertajam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.