Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Ipoh

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $922 in Ipoh, 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 Ipoh
Learn more

Ipoh Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Ipoh

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Ipoh

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

A single person spends $482 per month in Karachi vs $922 in Ipoh, rent included.

Karachi $482
Ipoh $922

A couple spends around $750 per month in Karachi vs $1,372 in Ipoh, rent included.

Karachi $750
Ipoh $1,372

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Karachi vs $1,821 in Ipoh, rent included.

Karachi $1,018
Ipoh $1,821

Karachi is about 48% cheaper than Ipoh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Ipoh are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Ipoh 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.26 MYR 13.29

-34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$19.29 MYR 78.7

-31.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.51 MYR 18.38

20.84%

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

$2.80 MYR 11.41

-25.36%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.44 MYR 1.81

-40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 MYR 17.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.42

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.97 MYR 8.05

-53.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.05 MYR 4.29

-46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.36 MYR 5.56

-8.09%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.21 MYR 9.03

-44.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$13.65 MYR 55.7

-58.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.56 MYR 18.62

-30.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$7.64 MYR 31.16

-17.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.01 MYR 12.27

-58.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.77 MYR 7.21

-70.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.22 MYR 9.05

-54.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.56 MYR 6.34

-64.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.28 MYR 5.22

-74.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.34 MYR 5.48

-74.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.13 MYR 4.62

-62.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.45 MYR 1.82

-2.22%

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 17.63

-57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.98 MYR 69.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 14.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 MYR 18.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.62 MYR 2.54

-54.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$11.56 MYR 47.14

-13.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.23 MYR 5.04

-43.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$5.04 MYR 20.56

-57.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.52 MYR 2.11

165.38%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$41.3K MYR 168.7K

-56.70%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-21.86%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$61.9 MYR 253

83.16%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.92 MYR 36.37

-33.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$26.24 MYR 107

-49.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$40.16 MYR 164

-46.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$6.93 MYR 28.26

163.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$3.33 MYR 13.59

26.43%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$305 MYR 1,242

-82.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

-85.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$61.5 MYR 251

-71.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$36.00 MYR 147

-34.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$61.8 MYR 252

11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$62.0 MYR 253

-34.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$401 MYR 1,635

-70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$298 MYR 1,217

-75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$679 MYR 2,770

-47.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$490 MYR 2,001

-61.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,059 MYR 8,400

-48.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,093 MYR 4,458

-56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$973 MYR 3,968

-81.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.99

231.08%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ipoh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Ipoh

$97 10.5% 26.8% $35

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Ipoh

$250 27.2% 147% $149

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Ipoh

$298 32.4% 305% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Ipoh

$100 10.8% 47% $32

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Ipoh

$108 11.8% 77.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Ipoh

$47 5.1% 56.3% $17

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Ipoh

$21 2.3% 38.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $401 in Ipoh. 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 432% higher in Ipoh, 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 $19.00 in Ipoh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $250 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Ipoh

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

759,952

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Ipoh 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Ipoh

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 Ipoh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ipoh costs about 91% 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 $1,383 in Ipoh. 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.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $52.2 per month in Karachi and $305 in Ipoh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $482 in Karachi and $922 in Ipoh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Karachi costs $482 versus $922 in Ipoh. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Ipoh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.