Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $537 in Langkawi, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Langkawi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Langkawi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $537 in Langkawi.

Karachi $482
Langkawi $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $770 in Langkawi.

Karachi $750
Langkawi $770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,003 in Langkawi.

Karachi $1,018
Langkawi $1,003

Living in Karachi costs roughly 10% less than in Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Langkawi 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.27 MYR 13.33

-34.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$19.71 MYR 80.4

-32.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$6.38 MYR 26.04

-14.58%

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

$1.65 MYR 6.72

26.67%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.82 MYR 3.36

-51.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.53 MYR 2.18

-50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MYR 9.22

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-47.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.31 MYR 5.36

-57.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.79 MYR 7.30

-31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$17.48 MYR 71.3

-67.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-37.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.99 MYR 4.05

-46.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.68 MYR 6.86

-40.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.67 MYR 6.83

-66.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.76 MYR 3.09

-55.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

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

$3.69 MYR 15.04

-50.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 MYR 36.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.88 MYR 3.57

56.82%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$24.4K MYR 99.6K

-26.69%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$36.65 MYR 150

209.55%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$24.82 MYR 101

-13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$308 MYR 1,255

-61.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$244 MYR 997

-69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$374 MYR 1,528

-4.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$320 MYR 1,304

-41.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,168 MYR 4,765

-9.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$1,240 MYR 5,060

-85.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8% 72.4% $96

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5% 45.7% $46

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Langkawi

$244 45.5% 232% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Langkawi

$84 15.6% 36.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6% 17.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $308 in Langkawi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Langkawi pays 578% 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 Langkawi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $148 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

30,212

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Karachi Langkawi 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Langkawi

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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Langkawi differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $537 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 578% lower in Langkawi. 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 $308 in Langkawi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $20.00 in Langkawi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $537 in Langkawi – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Langkawi 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 11% less than in Langkawi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.