Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Kota Bharu

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $692 in Kota Bharu, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Kota Bharu despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
Learn more

Kota Bharu Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Kota Bharu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $692 in Kota Bharu.

Karachi $482
Kota Bharu $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,072 in Kota Bharu.

Karachi $750
Kota Bharu $1,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,452 in Kota Bharu.

Karachi $1,018
Kota Bharu $1,452

Living in Karachi costs roughly 30% less than in Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Kota Bharu 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$2.18 MYR 8.90

-2.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$19.41 MYR 79.2

-31.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.58 MYR 18.70

19.00%

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

$2.18 MYR 8.89

-4.13%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.48 MYR 1.94

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.26 MYR 1.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 MYR 18.33

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.62 MYR 6.62

-43.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.92 MYR 3.74

-39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.83 MYR 3.39

50.60%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.61 MYR 6.58

-23.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$13.74 MYR 56.1

-58.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.94 MYR 12.00

7.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$6.65 MYR 27.13

-5.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.91 MYR 11.88

-56.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.50 MYR 6.12

-64.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.73 MYR 11.15

-63.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.13 MYR 4.60

-50.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.97 MYR 3.94

-65.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.12 MYR 4.59

-69.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.14 MYR 4.64

-63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.45 MYR 1.84

-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

$3.34 MYR 13.61

-44.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.00 MYR 77.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 MYR 11.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 MYR 21.71

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.33 MYR 50.3

-18.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-46.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.37 MYR 1.53

89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$3.69 MYR 15.04

-41.46%

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

$31.5K MYR 128.5K

-43.15%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$29.0K MYR 118.2K

-6.51%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$37.43 MYR 153

203.10%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.65 MYR 35.27

-31.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$25.39 MYR 104

-48.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$49.63 MYR 202

-56.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.48 MYR 18.26

-6.03%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$125 MYR 508

-58.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

-82.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$54.5 MYR 222

-67.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$19.29 MYR 78.7

21.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$79.0 MYR 322

-12.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$69.6 MYR 284

-41.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$248 MYR 1,010

-52.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$122 MYR 499

-39.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$673 MYR 2,745

-46.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$224 MYR 913

-16.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$299 MYR 1,221

-38.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.04

226.98%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Kota Bharu

$71 10.3% 46.1% $61

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Kota Bharu

$230 33.2% 127% $128

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Kota Bharu

$122 17.7% 66.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Kota Bharu

$100 14.5% 47.7% $32

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Kota Bharu

$90 13.1% 48% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Kota Bharu

$59 8.5% 95.5% $29

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 22.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $248 in Kota Bharu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Bharu pays 64% 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 $19.00 in Kota Bharu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $230 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

568,900

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Kota Bharu 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Kota Bharu

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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Kota Bharu differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $692 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Kota Bharu. 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 $248 in Kota Bharu. 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 $692 in Kota Bharu – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 23% less than in Kota Bharu. 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 Kota Bharu 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 44% less than in Kota Bharu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.