Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $839 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Penang
Learn more

Penang Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Penang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $839 in Penang.

Karachi $490
Penang $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,314 in Penang.

Karachi $755
Penang $1,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,790 in Penang.

Karachi $1,019
Penang $1,790

Living in Karachi costs roughly 42% less than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Penang 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$3.58 MYR 14.65

-39.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$19.84 MYR 81.1

-32.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.58 MYR 18.71

15.50%

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

$3.04 MYR 12.42

-30.59%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.73 MYR 2.98

-49.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 MYR 17.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MYR 17.65

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.89 MYR 7.72

-54.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.08 MYR 4.42

-51.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.77 MYR 7.24

-29.94%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.23 MYR 9.11

-44.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$13.69 MYR 56.0

-57.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$4.29 MYR 17.53

-27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,730

$8.60 MYR 35.16

-27.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$3.04 MYR 12.43

-57.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.71 MYR 6.97

-68.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$2.67 MYR 10.91

-62.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.47 MYR 6.01

-61.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.09 MYR 4.47

-69.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.8

$1.07 MYR 4.39

-67.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$1.14 MYR 4.67

-60.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.57 MYR 2.31

-22.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$4.62 MYR 18.89

-61.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.29 MYR 78.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.96

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 MYR 21.95

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.51 MYR 2.08

-45.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$12.30 MYR 50.3

-21.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.75 MYR 7.17

-47.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.37 MYR 1.52

91.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$7.27 MYR 29.72

-69.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.94 MYR 3.86

43.62%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$41.0K MYR 167.4K

-56.44%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$34.9K MYR 142.6K

-23.32%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$36.55 MYR 149

205.88%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$9.97 MYR 40.75

-39.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$29.32 MYR 120

-54.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$38.81 MYR 159

-44.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$4.98 MYR 20.35

257.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$4.87 MYR 19.92

-9.24%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$430 MYR 1,757

-88.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

-81.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$60.3 MYR 246

-70.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$35.26 MYR 144

-35.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$83.5 MYR 341

-19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$69.8 MYR 285

-41.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.4K

$402 MYR 1,643

-70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$232 MYR 950

-67.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$621 MYR 2,537

-41.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$410 MYR 1,678

-55.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$2,212 MYR 9,045

-52.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$1,057 MYR 4,323

-53.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$943 MYR 3,855

-80.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.04

226.98%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Penang

$76 8.8% 42.2% $55

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Penang

$258 30.1% 156% $157

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Penang

$232 27.1% 207% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Penang

$112 13.1% 67.1% $45

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Penang

$113 13.2% 85% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Penang

$49 5.7% 60% $18

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Penang

$18 2.1% 17.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $402 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 410% 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 Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $258 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

158,336

💱 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 = 4.09 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 Penang 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Penang

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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Penang differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $839 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 410% lower in Penang. 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 $402 in Penang. 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 $839 in Penang – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 27% less than in Penang. 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 Penang 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 71% less than in Penang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.