Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $741 in Rawang, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Rawang despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
Learn more

Rawang Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Rawang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $741 in Rawang.

Karachi $482
Rawang $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,183 in Rawang.

Karachi $750
Rawang $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,624 in Rawang.

Karachi $1,018
Rawang $1,624

Living in Karachi costs roughly 35% less than in Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Rawang 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.75 MYR 15.31

-43.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$19.68 MYR 80.3

-32.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.04 MYR 20.55

8.13%

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

$2.99 MYR 12.20

-30.10%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.83 MYR 3.38

-51.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.39 MYR 1.61

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.89

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.95 MYR 7.96

-52.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.76 MYR 7.19

-28.98%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.23 MYR 9.08

-44.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-59.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.48 MYR 18.29

-29.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.85 MYR 40.19

-36.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.06 MYR 12.49

-58.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.84 MYR 7.49

-71.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-61.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-74.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.18 MYR 4.80

-64.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.57 MYR 2.34

-22.81%

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

$4.54 MYR 18.53

-59.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.13 MYR 78.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 MYR 12.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 MYR 20.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.31 MYR 50.2

-18.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.66 MYR 6.77

-44.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.37 MYR 1.52

89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$6.88 MYR 28.05

-68.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.89 MYR 3.64

55.06%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

-57.79%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-21.86%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$36.56 MYR 149

210.31%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$9.78 MYR 39.90

-39.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$29.31 MYR 120

-55.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$39.87 MYR 163

-45.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$7.13 MYR 29.08

155.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$4.90 MYR 19.99

-14.08%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$301 MYR 1,227

-82.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

-82.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$59.8 MYR 244

-70.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$35.75 MYR 146

-34.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$82.6 MYR 337

-16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$70.9 MYR 289

-42.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$140 MYR 569

-15.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$103 MYR 421

-28.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$577 MYR 2,354

-38.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$232 MYR 945

-18.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$2,051 MYR 8,368

-48.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,090 MYR 4,445

-55.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$1,035 MYR 4,223

-82.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.18

216.03%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Rawang

$76 10.2% 42.9% $57

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Rawang

$266 35.9% 163% $165

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Rawang

$103 13.9% 40.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Rawang

$112 15.1% 65.5% $44

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Rawang

$116 15.6% 89.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Rawang

$50 6.7% 65.7% $20

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 21.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $140 in Rawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang pays 466% 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 Rawang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $266 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

50,000

💱 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 Rawang 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Rawang

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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Rawang differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $741 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 466% lower in Rawang. 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 $140 in Rawang. 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 $741 in Rawang – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 23% less than in Rawang. 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 Rawang 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 54% less than in Rawang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.