Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Kemaman

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $877 in Kemaman, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Kemaman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $877 in Kemaman.

Karachi $482
Kemaman $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,352 in Kemaman.

Karachi $750
Kemaman $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,827 in Kemaman.

Karachi $1,018
Kemaman $1,827

Living in Karachi costs roughly 45% less than in Kemaman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Kemaman 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$2.62 MYR 10.70

-18.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$14.65 MYR 59.8

-9.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.38 MYR 17.89

24.43%

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

$3.01 MYR 12.29

-30.56%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.51 MYR 2.08

-21.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.35 MYR 1.44

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MYR 13.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 MYR 23.61

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-51.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.01 MYR 4.14

-44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.96 MYR 3.92

30.21%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.14 MYR 4.64

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$9.82 MYR 40.04

-42.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$3.28 MYR 13.39

-3.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.63 MYR 39.27

-34.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.53 MYR 14.41

-64.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-71.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.66 MYR 10.86

-62.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-67.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$2.15 MYR 8.78

-84.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-83.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-70.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.48 MYR 1.95

-8.33%

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

$4.66 MYR 18.99

-60.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.79 MYR 80.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 MYR 11.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.73 MYR 2.98

-61.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.09 MYR 49.32

-17.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.23 MYR 5.02

-25.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.38 MYR 1.56

84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$8.88 MYR 36.22

-75.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.52 MYR 2.14

165.38%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$42.1K MYR 171.6K

-57.46%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$32.9K MYR 134.4K

-17.81%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$48.98 MYR 200

131.63%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.30 MYR 33.87

-28.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$27.03 MYR 110

-51.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$41.79 MYR 170

-48.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$7.05 MYR 28.75

158.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-13.55%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$124 MYR 507

-58.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.4K MYR 42.5K

-81.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$51.5 MYR 210

-65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$30.07 MYR 123

-21.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$76.7 MYR 313

-10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$85.5 MYR 349

-52.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$450 MYR 1,837

-73.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$267 MYR 1,090

-72.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$772 MYR 3,148

-53.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$532 MYR 2,169

-64.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,748 MYR 7,129

-39.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,220 MYR 4,978

-60.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

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 Kemaman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Kemaman

$84 9.6% 36.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Kemaman

$245 27.9% 142% $143

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Kemaman

$267 30.5% 263% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Kemaman

$110 12.5% 61.9% $42

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Kemaman

$101 11.6% 65.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Kemaman

$52 5.9% 71.9% $22

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Kemaman

$18 2.1% 17% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $450 in Kemaman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Karachi vs $15.00 in Kemaman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $245 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

12:01 12:01 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

215,582

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi Kemaman 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Kemaman

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 Kemaman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Kemaman differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $877 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $723 in Karachi and $1,315 in Kemaman to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $450 in Kemaman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $877 in Kemaman – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 21% less than in Kemaman. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $877 in Kemaman, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Kemaman. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Kemaman 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 82% less than in Kemaman. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.