Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Petaling Jaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $1,062 in Petaling Jaya.

Karachi $490
Petaling Jaya $1,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,529 in Petaling Jaya.

Karachi $755
Petaling Jaya $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,997 in Petaling Jaya.

Karachi $1,019
Petaling Jaya $1,997

Living in Karachi costs roughly 54% less than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Petaling Jaya 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$3.71 MYR 15.15

-42.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$24.45 MYR 99.8

-45.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.87 MYR 19.88

8.62%

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

$2.99 MYR 12.21

-29.43%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.88 MYR 3.59

-57.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.44 MYR 1.80

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.21

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.93 MYR 7.90

-55.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.03 MYR 4.20

-49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-13.89%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$9.66 MYR 39.44

-39.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$3.32 MYR 13.54

-6.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$9.54 MYR 38.94

-34.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$3.44 MYR 14.05

-62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.93 MYR 7.89

-72.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$2.77 MYR 11.31

-64.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-69.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$2.15 MYR 8.80

-84.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$2.01 MYR 8.23

-82.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$1.43 MYR 5.85

-68.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.55 MYR 2.25

-20.00%

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

$4.57 MYR 18.66

-60.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$1.20 MYR 4.92

-76.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$12.40 MYR 50.6

-21.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.25 MYR 5.09

-26.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.35 MYR 1.44

102.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$8.73 MYR 35.64

-74.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.88 MYR 3.58

53.41%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-56.59%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

-18.02%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$48.53 MYR 198

130.37%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$8.08 MYR 33.00

-25.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$26.83 MYR 110

-50.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$51.8 MYR 211

-58.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$3.16 MYR 12.89

463.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$4.92 MYR 20.09

-10.16%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$279 MYR 1,137

-81.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

-81.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$52.4 MYR 214

-66.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$29.65 MYR 121

-23.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$76.3 MYR 311

-11.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$84.9 MYR 347

-51.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$482 MYR 1,970

-75.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$404 MYR 1,651

-81.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$831 MYR 3,391

-56.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$554 MYR 2,260

-67.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

-66.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$952 MYR 3,888

-48.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$1,744 MYR 7,120

-89.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.51

192.90%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Petaling Jaya

$83 8% 36.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Petaling Jaya

$250 24% 148% $149

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8% 434% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5% 63.4% $42

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9% 86.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9% 103% $31

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 32.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $482 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 843% 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 $24.00 in Petaling Jaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $250 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

771,687

💱 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 = 0.219 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 = 0.219 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Karachi Petaling Jaya 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Petaling Jaya differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $1,062 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 843% lower in Petaling Jaya. 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 $482 in Petaling Jaya. 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 $1,062 in Petaling Jaya – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 28% less than in Petaling Jaya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Petaling Jaya. 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 Petaling Jaya 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 117% less than in Petaling Jaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.