Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Pontianak

For one person, living costs are similar in Karachi and in Pontianak: $482 and $484 a month, rent and utilities included.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Pontianak
Learn more

Pontianak Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Pontianak

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Pontianak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $484 in Pontianak.

Karachi $482
Pontianak $484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $600 in Pontianak.

Karachi $750
Pontianak $600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $717 in Pontianak.

Karachi $1,018
Pontianak $717

Living in Karachi costs roughly 1% less than in Pontianak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

20.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$8.14 Rp 146.4K

63.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

82.27%

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

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

68.55%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.46 Rp 8,327

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.21 Rp 3,762

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

-14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

-60.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

32.98%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

-17.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$3.32 Rp 59.7K

-4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

-58.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

-72.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.20 Rp 39.6K

-54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.48 Rp 8,633

-8.33%

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

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.55 Rp 405.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.27 Rp 4,796

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

89.04%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$68.5 Rp 1.2M

65.64%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$5.51 Rp 99.2K

7.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$22.14 Rp 398.4K

-40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$23.86 Rp 429.5K

-9.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$11.79 Rp 212.2K

54.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

12.87%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$33.12 Rp 596.2K

-47.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$33.53 Rp 603.5K

-29.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$169 Rp 3.0M

-30.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$113 Rp 2.0M

-34.72%

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

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$262 Rp 4.7M

-30.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

32.10%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pontianak: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Pontianak

$96 19.8% 27.5% $36

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Pontianak

$151 * 31.2% 49.1% $50

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Pontianak

$113 23.3% 53.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Pontianak

$30 * 6.2% 55.7% $38

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Pontianak

$62 12.8% 1.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Pontianak

$31 6.5% 4.5% $1.4

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Pontianak

$1.1 * 0.2% 93.1% $14

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 $169 in Pontianak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pontianak pays 43% 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 $8.00 in Pontianak. Groceries flip the comparison at $101 vs $151, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇩 Pontianak

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

672,440

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Pontianak 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Pontianak

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 Pontianak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Pontianak differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $484 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Pontianak. 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 $169 in Pontianak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $8.00 in Pontianak. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $482 per month in Karachi versus $484 in Pontianak – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Pontianak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.