Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Kepong

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $909 in Kepong, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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 Kepong
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Kepong Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Kepong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $909 in Kepong.

Karachi $482
Kepong $909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,366 in Kepong.

Karachi $750
Kepong $1,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,823 in Kepong.

Karachi $1,018
Kepong $1,823

Living in Karachi costs roughly 47% less than in Kepong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Kepong 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.75 MYR 15.31

-43.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$24.50 MYR 100.0

-45.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.94 MYR 20.13

10.32%

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 12.28

-30.56%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.87 MYR 3.55

-54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.45 MYR 1.82

-42.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.86

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 MYR 23.81

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-47.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.42 MYR 5.81

-11.97%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.80 MYR 7.34

-31.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$9.81 MYR 40.00

-42.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$3.30 MYR 13.47

-4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.58 MYR 39.08

-34.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.31 MYR 13.51

-61.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.69 MYR 6.91

-68.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.71 MYR 11.06

-63.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.70 MYR 6.93

-67.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.47 MYR 5.99

-77.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.66 MYR 6.77

-79.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.55 MYR 2.22

-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

$4.17 MYR 17.00

-55.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 MYR 56.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.82 MYR 3.34

-65.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.06 MYR 49.18

-17.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.00 MYR 4.09

-8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.38 MYR 1.56

84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$9.05 MYR 36.91

-76.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.86 MYR 3.53

60.47%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

-56.66%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

-15.41%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$49.51 MYR 202

129.15%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.27 MYR 33.74

-28.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$27.27 MYR 111

-51.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$39.01 MYR 159

-44.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$6.74 MYR 27.48

170.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.86 MYR 19.82

-13.37%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$164 MYR 668

-68.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$4,528 MYR 18.5K

-57.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$54.7 MYR 223

-67.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$24.36 MYR 99.4

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$82.3 MYR 336

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$84.5 MYR 345

-51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$404 MYR 1,649

-70.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$303 MYR 1,235

-75.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$668 MYR 2,726

-46.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$482 MYR 1,967

-61.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,997 MYR 8,147

-46.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,073 MYR 4,378

-55.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$644 MYR 2,628

-71.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.06

225.37%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kepong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Kepong

$85 9.4% 35.8% $48

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Kepong

$228 25.1% 126% $127

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Kepong

$303 33.3% 311% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Kepong

$111 12.2% 63.4% $43

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Kepong

$115 12.6% 88% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Kepong

$49 5.4% 62.6% $19

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Kepong

$18 2% 17.5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $404 in Kepong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kepong pays 252% 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 Kepong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $228 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Kepong

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

85,960

💱 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 Kepong 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Kepong

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 Kepong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Kepong differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $909 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 252% lower in Kepong. 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 $404 in Kepong. 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 $909 in Kepong – a 89% 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 Kepong. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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 Kepong 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 89% less than in Kepong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.