Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $612 in Malacca, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Malacca despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
Learn more

Malacca Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Malacca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $612 in Malacca.

Karachi $482
Malacca $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $977 in Malacca.

Karachi $750
Malacca $977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,343 in Malacca.

Karachi $1,018
Malacca $1,343

Living in Karachi costs roughly 21% less than in Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Malacca 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.27 MYR 13.36

-34.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$18.71 MYR 76.3

-28.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.80 MYR 19.60

13.54%

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

$2.83 MYR 11.56

-26.15%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.77 MYR 3.15

-48.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.54 MYR 2.21

-51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.10

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.72 MYR 7.03

-46.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-49.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.42 MYR 5.78

-11.97%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.72 MYR 7.02

-28.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$18.49 MYR 75.4

-69.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.59 MYR 18.73

-31.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$10.83 MYR 44.18

-42.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.26 MYR 13.29

-61.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-69.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-57.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.64 MYR 6.69

-65.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.47 MYR 5.99

-77.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-80.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.37 MYR 5.61

-69.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-20.00%

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

$4.19 MYR 17.11

-56.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MYR 8.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.67

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-40.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.40 MYR 50.6

-19.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.00 MYR 4.09

-8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.70 MYR 2.85

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$12.03 MYR 49.08

-82.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.51 MYR 2.10

170.59%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

-57.12%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-22.39%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$51.7 MYR 211

119.44%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$11.20 MYR 45.69

-46.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$28.12 MYR 115

-53.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$22.13 MYR 90.3

-2.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$11.76 MYR 47.97

55.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.02 MYR 20.49

-16.14%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$163 MYR 665

-68.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

-56.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$54.7 MYR 223

-67.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$16.80 MYR 68.5

39.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$82.3 MYR 336

-16.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$97.7 MYR 399

-58.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$192 MYR 784

-38.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,191 MYR 4,861

-11.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$804 MYR 3,280

-40.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$411 MYR 1,677

-55.50%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Malacca

$91 14.9% 31.3% $42

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Malacca

$261 42.7% 158% $160

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Malacca

$113 18.5% 67.1% $45

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Malacca

$95 15.6% 56.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Malacca

$32 5.3% 7.4% $2.2

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 21% $3.3

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 $192 in Malacca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malacca pays 125% 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 $19.00 in Malacca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $261 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

579,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Karachi Malacca 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Malacca

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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Malacca differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $612 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 125% lower in Malacca. 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 $192 in Malacca. 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 $612 in Malacca – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 24% less than in Malacca. 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.

Safety-wise, Karachi and Malacca 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 27% less than in Malacca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.