Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Gombak

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $927 in Gombak, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Gombak
Learn more

Gombak Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Gombak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $927 in Gombak.

Karachi $482
Gombak $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,429 in Gombak.

Karachi $750
Gombak $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,931 in Gombak.

Karachi $1,018
Gombak $1,931

Living in Karachi costs roughly 48% less than in Gombak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Gombak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.71 MYR 15.12

-42.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$24.58 MYR 100

-45.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.96 MYR 20.23

9.88%

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

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-29.87%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.92 MYR 3.74

-56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.42 MYR 1.69

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 MYR 13.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 MYR 23.63

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.88 MYR 7.69

-51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.03 MYR 4.19

-45.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.42 MYR 5.80

-11.97%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-33.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$10.03 MYR 40.93

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$3.27 MYR 13.34

-3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.82 MYR 40.06

-36.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.52 MYR 14.37

-64.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.91 MYR 7.81

-72.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.64 MYR 10.79

-62.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$2.08 MYR 8.50

-84.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.98 MYR 8.08

-82.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.48 MYR 6.04

-71.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.55 MYR 2.24

-20.00%

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

$4.41 MYR 17.97

-58.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.70 MYR 80.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 MYR 19.04

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.67 MYR 2.73

-58.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.05 MYR 49.15

-17.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-25.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.35 MYR 1.44

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$8.72 MYR 35.57

-75.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.80 MYR 3.27

72.50%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$42.6K MYR 173.6K

-57.95%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

-15.40%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$49.80 MYR 203

127.81%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.34 MYR 34.02

-28.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$27.39 MYR 112

-51.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$40.60 MYR 166

-46.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$7.17 MYR 29.23

154.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$3.26 MYR 13.29

29.14%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$274 MYR 1,120

-81.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.4K MYR 42.3K

-81.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$50.4 MYR 206

-65.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$30.06 MYR 123

-21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$76.4 MYR 312

-9.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$86.2 MYR 352

-52.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$405 MYR 1,650

-70.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$303 MYR 1,235

-75.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$682 MYR 2,781

-47.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$554 MYR 2,261

-66.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,059 MYR 8,400

-48.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,053 MYR 4,295

-54.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$538 MYR 2,193

-65.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.51

192.90%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gombak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Gombak

$86 9.2% 35.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Gombak

$252 27.1% 149% $150

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Gombak

$303 32.7% 311% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Gombak

$109 11.8% 61.5% $42

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Gombak

$113 12.2% 85.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Gombak

$47 5.1% 57.2% $17

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Gombak

$18 1.9% 14.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $405 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gombak pays 194% 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 $25.00 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $252 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

41,699

💱 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 Gombak 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 92% lower than in Gombak. 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 194% lower in Gombak. 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 $405 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 148% higher in Gombak. 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 $25.00 in Gombak. 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 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 Gombak 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 92% less than in Gombak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.