Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Magelang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $522 in Magelang, rent and utilities included – about $320 less a year. The total is higher in Magelang despite lower rent and utilities.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
Learn more

Magelang Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Magelang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $495 in Karachi versus $522 in Magelang.

Karachi $495
Magelang $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Karachi versus $829 in Magelang.

Karachi $770
Magelang $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in Karachi versus $1,136 in Magelang.

Karachi $1,046
Magelang $1,136

Living in Karachi costs roughly 5% less than in Magelang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Magelang 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

56.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$8.48 Rp 153.9K

51.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

107.48%

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

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

191.89%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.32 Rp 5,749

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.17 Rp 3,098

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

-12.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

-53.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

60.00%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

-9.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 861

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

37.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

-6.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

-51.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

-17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

-34.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

-66.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

-76.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

-48.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.36 Rp 6,478

19.44%

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 679

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

-7.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.50 Rp 299.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.29 Rp 5,325

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,238

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

3.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$0.43 Rp 7,755

113.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.32 Rp 5,787

128.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

1.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

82.19%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$25.4K Rp 460.5M

-28.06%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$28.0K Rp 507.7M

-5.72%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$46.08 Rp 836.0K

143.42%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,657

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

51.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$19.56 Rp 354.9K

-32.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,826

$13.49 Rp 244.7K

82.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,062

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

402.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,202

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

70.87%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$43.82 Rp 795.1K

53.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

-51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,874

$19.01 Rp 345.0K

-7.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,097

$19.05 Rp 345.6K

15.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

19.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$51.7 Rp 937.3K

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$226 Rp 4.1M

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$146 Rp 2.7M

-43.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$561 Rp 10.2M

-30.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$361 Rp 6.6M

-42.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

-9.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$800 Rp 14.5M

-39.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

$170 Rp 3.1M

8.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

7.5

76.13%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Magelang

$70 13.3% 47% $62

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Magelang

$165 31.6% 62.4% $63

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Magelang

$146 28.1% 78.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Magelang

$66 12.7% 1.1% $0.8

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Magelang

$41 8% 33.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Magelang

$19 3.6% 44.3% $15

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Magelang

$14 2.8% 16.8% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $136 in Karachi and $226 in Magelang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13 in Karachi vs $8 in Magelang. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $165, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇩 Magelang

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

00:23 12:23 AM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

118,227

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Magelang 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Magelang

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 Magelang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Magelang differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($495 vs $522 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Karachi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $136 in Karachi versus $226 in Magelang. 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 $522 in Magelang – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Magelang runs roughly 4% less than in Karachi. 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.