Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Putrajaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $818 in Putrajaya, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Putrajaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $818 in Putrajaya.

Karachi $482
Putrajaya $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,232 in Putrajaya.

Karachi $750
Putrajaya $1,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,646 in Putrajaya.

Karachi $1,018
Putrajaya $1,646

Living in Karachi costs roughly 41% less than in Putrajaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Putrajaya 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.78 MYR 15.41

-43.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$18.39 MYR 75.0

-27.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.58 MYR 18.67

19.00%

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

$2.86 MYR 11.68

-26.92%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.80 MYR 3.28

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 MYR 14.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.67 MYR 6.83

-44.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.10 MYR 4.49

-49.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-14.97%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.67 MYR 6.82

-26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$7.84 MYR 32.00

-27.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.68 MYR 19.09

-32.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.57 MYR 39.05

-34.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.41 MYR 9.82

-47.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.51 MYR 6.15

-64.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-55.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.63 MYR 6.65

-65.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.50 MYR 6.11

-77.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.54 MYR 2.22

-18.52%

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

$4.29 MYR 17.50

-57.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 MYR 54.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.74

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.69 MYR 2.84

-59.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.45 MYR 50.8

-19.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.96 MYR 3.92

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.48 MYR 1.96

45.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$9.93 MYR 40.51

-78.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.74 MYR 3.01

86.49%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$42.5K MYR 173.3K

-57.85%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.5K MYR 140.7K

-21.47%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$53.4 MYR 218

112.57%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$11.10 MYR 45.29

-46.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$22.49 MYR 91.7

-41.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$35.53 MYR 145

-39.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$9.63 MYR 39.28

89.30%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-13.55%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$506 MYR 2,063

-89.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$4,463 MYR 18.2K

-56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$55.2 MYR 225

-68.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$16.63 MYR 67.9

41.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$79.9 MYR 326

-13.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$86.9 MYR 355

-53.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$348 MYR 1,420

-66.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$228 MYR 932

-67.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$644 MYR 2,628

-44.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$372 MYR 1,516

-49.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,622 MYR 10.7K

-59.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,765 MYR 7,202

-72.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$1,043 MYR 4,255

-82.46%

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 Putrajaya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Putrajaya

$87 10.6% 34.4% $46

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Putrajaya

$221 27% 118% $119

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Putrajaya

$228 27.9% 210% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Putrajaya

$107 13.1% 58.6% $40

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Putrajaya

$110 13.5% 80.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Putrajaya

$45 5.5% 51.1% $15

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Putrajaya

$19 2.3% 19.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $348 in Putrajaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Putrajaya pays 470% 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 $18.00 in Putrajaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $221 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

20:14 8:14 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

109,202

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Putrajaya 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Putrajaya

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 Putrajaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Putrajaya differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $818 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 470% lower in Putrajaya. 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 $348 in Putrajaya. 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 $818 in Putrajaya – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 25% less than in Putrajaya. 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 Putrajaya 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 70% less than in Putrajaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.