Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $917 in Kota Kinabalu, 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
Learn more

Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu.

Karachi $490
Kota Kinabalu $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu.

Karachi $755
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu.

Karachi $1,019
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Kota Kinabalu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$3.57 MYR 14.59

-39.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$19.54 MYR 79.8

-31.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.92 MYR 20.09

7.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$2.63 MYR 10.74

-19.77%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.60 MYR 2.44

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.30 MYR 1.22

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MYR 15.27

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-50.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.28 MYR 5.23

-59.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-45.13%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$3.46 MYR 14.13

-64.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$28.33 MYR 116

-79.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$3.69 MYR 15.05

-15.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$6.68 MYR 27.27

-6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$2.24 MYR 9.15

-42.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-62.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-48.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-71.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-80.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-83.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-52.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-6.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$4.92 MYR 20.10

-63.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 MYR 64.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 MYR 14.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-85.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$41.92 MYR 171

-76.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.91 MYR 7.82

-51.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.23 MYR 0.94

208.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.76 MYR 3.11

77.63%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-57.66%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-24.96%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$70.5 MYR 288

58.63%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$9.69 MYR 39.56

-37.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$32.36 MYR 132

-58.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$52.3 MYR 214

-58.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$3.09 MYR 12.64

476.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$5.22 MYR 21.31

-15.33%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$141 MYR 575

-63.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

-72.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$81.5 MYR 333

-78.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$36.64 MYR 150

-37.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$93.7 MYR 382

-27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$48.75 MYR 199

-15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$425 MYR 1,735

-72.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$193 MYR 788

-60.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$679 MYR 2,771

-46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$368 MYR 1,501

-50.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$1,848 MYR 7,546

-42.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

-55.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$592 MYR 2,419

-68.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.9

238.72%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 14.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 185% $187

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 155% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 75% $50

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 60.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 107% $32

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 245% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Kinabalu pays 220% 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $288 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

500,425

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Kota Kinabalu 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Kota Kinabalu differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $917 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 220% lower in Kota Kinabalu. 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: $117 in Karachi versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 333% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Kota Kinabalu. 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 Kota Kinabalu 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 87% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.