Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $814 in Miri, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
Learn more

Miri Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Miri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $814 in Miri.

Karachi $490
Miri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,247 in Miri.

Karachi $755
Miri $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,680 in Miri.

Karachi $1,019
Miri $1,680

Living in Karachi costs roughly 40% less than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Miri 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$3.43 MYR 14.02

-37.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$12.16 MYR 49.65

9.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.55 MYR 18.58

16.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$2.30 MYR 9.40

-8.26%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-52.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.30 MYR 1.24

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MYR 12.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 MYR 15.59

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.40 MYR 5.72

-38.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.81 MYR 7.40

-71.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.94 MYR 3.85

31.91%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$3.50 MYR 14.27

-64.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$4.79 MYR 19.58

-34.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$15.10 MYR 61.6

-58.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.96 MYR 8.01

-72.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.36 MYR 1.47

22.22%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$4.35 MYR 17.77

-58.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.28 MYR 78.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 MYR 12.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.51 MYR 2.09

-45.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$14.41 MYR 58.8

-32.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-22.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.64 MYR 2.60

10.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$6.05 MYR 24.71

-63.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.65 MYR 2.64

107.69%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$51.0K MYR 208.3K

-65.03%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

-18.11%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$49.79 MYR 203

124.54%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$9.53 MYR 38.91

-36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$33.24 MYR 136

-60.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$29.63 MYR 121

-27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$6.17 MYR 25.21

188.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$4.45 MYR 18.18

-0.67%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$102 MYR 416

-50.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$6,641 MYR 27.1K

-70.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$44.13 MYR 180

-60.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$22.74 MYR 92.9

0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$56.2 MYR 230

20.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$42.80 MYR 175

-4.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$341 MYR 1,390

-65.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$280 MYR 1,145

-73.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$596 MYR 2,435

-38.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$594 MYR 2,425

-69.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$1,219 MYR 4,977

-13.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$671 MYR 2,741

-26.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$692 MYR 2,826

-73.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.12

220.63%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Miri

$93 11.6% 29.4% $39

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Miri

$194 * 24.4% 92.5% $93

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Miri

$280 35.2% 270% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Miri

$75 9.4% 11.4% $7.7

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Miri

$96 12% 56.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Miri

$39 4.8% 27% $8.2

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Miri

$21 2.6% 36.7% $5.6

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 $117 in Karachi and $341 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miri pays 274% 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 Miri. Groceries flip the comparison at $101 vs $194, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

248,877

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Miri 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Miri differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $814 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 274% lower in Miri. 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: $117 in Karachi versus $341 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $814 in Miri – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 49% less than in Miri. 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 Miri 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 66% less than in Miri. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.