Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $891 in Kulim, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Kulim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $495 in Karachi versus $891 in Kulim.

Karachi $495
Kulim $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Karachi versus $1,374 in Kulim.

Karachi $770
Kulim $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in Karachi versus $1,857 in Kulim.

Karachi $1,046
Kulim $1,857

Living in Karachi costs roughly 44% less than in Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$3.72 MYR 15.17

-40.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$19.45 MYR 79.3

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$4.53 MYR 18.45

16.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$2.89 MYR 11.76

-25.26%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.78 MYR 3.19

-51.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.42 MYR 1.70

-40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.76

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$1.96 MYR 7.97

-54.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$1.23 MYR 5.00

-57.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-7.69%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$2.23 MYR 9.07

-43.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$12.68 MYR 51.7

-54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$3.85 MYR 15.70

-19.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$10.72 MYR 43.69

-39.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$3.05 MYR 12.42

-58.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$1.89 MYR 7.68

-71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.44 MYR 5.88

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$1.36 MYR 5.54

-77.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-62.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.53 MYR 2.15

-18.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$4.47 MYR 18.22

-60.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 85.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-62.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

$12.64 MYR 51.5

-7.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.04 MYR 4.23

-11.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.56 MYR 2.28

30.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$8.26 MYR 33.64

-73.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$0.74 MYR 3.00

79.73%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

-62.64%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

-14.65%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$45.19 MYR 184

148.22%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$8.70 MYR 35.44

-31.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$25.83 MYR 105

-48.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,826

$36.10 MYR 147

-31.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$7.37 MYR 30.04

148.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$4.46 MYR 18.16

-2.69%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$268 MYR 1,091

-74.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

-73.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$62.2 MYR 253

-71.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,097

$30.78 MYR 125

-28.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$77.2 MYR 314

-11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$70.8 MYR 289

-42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$419 MYR 1,707

-67.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$265 MYR 1,079

-68.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$763 MYR 3,110

-48.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$497 MYR 2,026

-58.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$2,141 MYR 8,723

-51.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$1,272 MYR 5,184

-62.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Kulim

$80 9% 39.3% $52

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 158% $160

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 222% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 62.1% $42

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 80% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 35% $12

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 12% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $419 in Kulim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $19 in Kulim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $262 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

319,056

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi Kulim 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Kulim differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($495 vs $891 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $742 in Karachi and $1,336 in Kulim 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: $136 in Karachi versus $419 in Kulim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $495 per month in Karachi versus $891 in Kulim – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 7% less than in Kulim. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Kulim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.