Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $913 in Setia Alam, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
Learn more

Setia Alam Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Setia Alam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $913 in Setia Alam.

Karachi $482
Setia Alam $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,358 in Setia Alam.

Karachi $750
Setia Alam $1,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,803 in Setia Alam.

Karachi $1,018
Setia Alam $1,803

Living in Karachi costs roughly 47% less than in Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Setia Alam 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$4.81 MYR 19.61

-55.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$24.57 MYR 100

-45.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.96 MYR 20.22

9.88%

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

$2.76 MYR 11.27

-24.28%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.79 MYR 3.23

-49.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MYR 24.50

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.49 MYR 6.09

-38.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.72 MYR 2.92

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.59 MYR 2.42

111.86%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.20 MYR 4.91

2.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-58.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.41 MYR 9.83

31.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$2.41 MYR 9.83

160.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.24 MYR 5.04

1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-71.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.25 MYR 5.11

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-53.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.74 MYR 3.03

-54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.72 MYR 2.95

-38.89%

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

$4.32 MYR 17.64

-57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.60 MYR 80.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.76 MYR 3.08

-63.16%

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

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$4.78 MYR 19.49

-54.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.48 MYR 1.95

187.50%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

-54.32%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

-18.00%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$61.2 MYR 250

85.47%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$8.52 MYR 34.77

-30.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$26.04 MYR 106

-49.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$49.73 MYR 203

-56.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$6.97 MYR 28.44

161.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.10 MYR 20.82

-17.45%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$135 MYR 551

-61.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

-75.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$72.7 MYR 296

-75.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$27.31 MYR 111

-13.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$53.8 MYR 220

27.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$36.56 MYR 149

11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$529 MYR 2,160

-77.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$323 MYR 1,319

-77.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$873 MYR 3,562

-59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$549 MYR 2,238

-65.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,992 MYR 8,128

-46.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,102 MYR 4,498

-56.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$1,143 MYR 4,663

-84.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

230.25%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Setia Alam

$96 10.5% 27.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Setia Alam

$200 21.9% 97.7% $99

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Setia Alam

$323 35.4% 339% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Setia Alam

$86 9.4% 26.5% $18

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Setia Alam

$125 13.7% 105% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Setia Alam

$60 6.6% 100% $30

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 45.3% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $529 in Setia Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays 525% 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $200 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

150,000

💱 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 Setia Alam 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Setia Alam differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $913 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 525% lower in Setia Alam. 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 $529 in Setia Alam. 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 $913 in Setia Alam – a 89% 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 Setia Alam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Karachi versus $913 in Setia Alam, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Setia Alam. 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 Setia Alam 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 89% less than in Setia Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.