Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Cimahi

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.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Cimahi
Learn more

Cimahi Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Cimahi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Cimahi

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

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

Karachi $482
Cimahi $559

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

Karachi $750
Cimahi $930

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

Karachi $1,018
Cimahi $1,300

Living in Karachi costs roughly 14% less than in Cimahi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

23.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$14.10 Rp 253.8K

-5.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$3.28 Rp 59.0K

66.16%

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

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

42.18%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.46 Rp 8,347

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.24 Rp 4,323

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.12 Rp 20.2K

-17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.98 Rp 17.6K

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

42.05%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

-16.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$7.33 Rp 131.9K

-22.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

8.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$7.74 Rp 139.3K

-18.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

-44.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.11 Rp 19.9K

-52.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.48 Rp 26.7K

-32.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-68.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

-82.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.70 Rp 12.6K

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.40 Rp 7,184

10.00%

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)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.66 Rp 47.8K

-30.83%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.27 Rp 4,899

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.54 Rp 9,733

70.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.32 Rp 5,744

118.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$2.34 Rp 42.1K

-7.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

56.82%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.0K Rp 378.9M

-14.97%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$29.1K Rp 523.1M

-6.80%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$33.78 Rp 608.0K

235.85%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$4.40 Rp 79.2K

35.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$19.12 Rp 344.2K

-31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$19.33 Rp 348.0K

11.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$9.05 Rp 162.8K

101.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

48.24%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$94.8 Rp 1.7M

-45.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$8,303 Rp 149.5M

-76.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$38.60 Rp 694.9K

-54.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$28.40 Rp 511.2K

-17.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$72.5 Rp 1.3M

-5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$71.2 Rp 1.3M

-42.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$214 Rp 3.9M

-44.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$126 Rp 2.3M

-41.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$512 Rp 9.2M

-30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$357 Rp 6.4M

-47.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,102 Rp 19.8M

-3.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$819 Rp 14.7M

-41.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$254 Rp 4.6M

-28.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

9.46

39.64%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cimahi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Cimahi

$57 10.3% 56.8% $75

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Cimahi

$191 34.1% 88.3% $89

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Cimahi

$126 22.5% 70.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Cimahi

$95 17% 40% $27

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Cimahi

$62 11.2% 2.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Cimahi

$25 4.5% 16.5% $5

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Cimahi

$3.2 * 0.6% 79.3% $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 $118 in Karachi and $214 in Cimahi. 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: $13.00 in Karachi vs $14.00 in Cimahi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $191 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇩 Cimahi

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

561,386

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

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).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Cimahi 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Cimahi

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 Cimahi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Cimahi. 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: $118 in Karachi versus $214 in Cimahi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Cimahi. 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 $559 in Cimahi – a 16% 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 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.

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.