Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $987 in Lumut, Perak, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
Learn more

Lumut, Perak Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Lumut, Perak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $987 in Lumut, Perak.

Karachi $482
Lumut, Perak $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,449 in Lumut, Perak.

Karachi $750
Lumut, Perak $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,910 in Lumut, Perak.

Karachi $1,018
Lumut, Perak $1,910

Living in Karachi costs roughly 51% less than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Lumut, Perak 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.56 MYR 14.52

-40.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$12.21 MYR 49.79

8.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.92 MYR 20.06

10.77%

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

$2.97 MYR 12.14

-29.63%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.83 MYR 3.39

-51.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.38 MYR 1.56

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 MYR 15.65

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 MYR 24.34

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$2.14 MYR 8.73

-57.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.07 MYR 4.38

-47.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$2.02 MYR 8.25

-38.12%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.46 MYR 10.05

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-58.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.38 MYR 17.88

-27.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.89 MYR 40.36

-36.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.35 MYR 13.68

-62.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.83 MYR 7.45

-71.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.25 MYR 9.18

-55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.60 MYR 6.53

-65.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.28 MYR 5.24

-74.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.35 MYR 5.52

-74.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.18 MYR 4.82

-64.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.66 MYR 2.68

-33.33%

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

$4.39 MYR 17.90

-58.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 MYR 80.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 MYR 14.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 MYR 20.51

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.64 MYR 2.62

-56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$11.47 MYR 46.78

-12.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-25.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.21 MYR 4.92

-42.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$4.92 MYR 20.06

-56.10%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.2K

-57.60%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-20.34%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$61.4 MYR 251

84.68%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.79 MYR 35.87

-32.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$26.41 MYR 108

-50.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$37.77 MYR 154

-42.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$6.93 MYR 28.29

163.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.12 MYR 20.89

-17.77%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$303 MYR 1,236

-82.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$12.9K MYR 52.6K

-84.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$70.9 MYR 289

-75.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$41.12 MYR 168

-42.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$87.5 MYR 357

-21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$95.2 MYR 388

-57.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$406 MYR 1,657

-70.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$299 MYR 1,222

-75.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$686 MYR 2,798

-47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$475 MYR 1,940

-60.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,306 MYR 9,407

-54.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,183 MYR 4,824

-59.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$381 MYR 1,555

-52.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.18

216.03%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.8% 27.1% $36

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Lumut, Perak

$274 27.8% 171% $173

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Lumut, Perak

$299 30.4% 307% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.4% 95.7% $65

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6% 88.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Lumut, Perak

$48 4.9% 60.2% $18

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Lumut, Perak

$21 2.2% 37.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lumut, Perak pays 108% 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 $12.00 in Lumut, Perak. Groceries flip the comparison at $101 vs $274, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

14:05 2:05 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

39,595

💱 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 Lumut, Perak 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Lumut, Perak

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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Lumut, Perak differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $987 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 108% lower in Lumut, Perak. 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 $406 in Lumut, Perak. 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 $987 in Lumut, Perak – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 15% less than in Lumut, Perak. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $987 in Lumut, Perak, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Lumut, Perak. 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 Lumut, Perak 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 105% less than in Lumut, Perak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.