Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Shah Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $933 in Shah Alam, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
Learn more

Shah Alam Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Shah 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 Shah Alam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $482 in Karachi versus $933 in Shah Alam.

Karachi $482
Shah Alam $933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Karachi versus $1,429 in Shah Alam.

Karachi $750
Shah Alam $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Karachi versus $1,925 in Shah Alam.

Karachi $1,018
Shah Alam $1,925

Living in Karachi costs roughly 48% less than in Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Shah Alam 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-42.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$19.34 MYR 78.9

-31.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$4.21 MYR 17.16

29.45%

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

$2.87 MYR 11.70

-27.18%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-48.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.39 MYR 1.58

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.65

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.79 MYR 7.29

-48.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.06 MYR 4.31

-47.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.47 MYR 6.01

-14.97%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$2.17 MYR 8.85

-43.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$13.59 MYR 55.4

-58.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$4.36 MYR 17.78

-27.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$9.51 MYR 38.79

-33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$3.53 MYR 14.38

-64.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-67.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$2.62 MYR 10.67

-61.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-67.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-73.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-83.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-70.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.54 MYR 2.19

-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

$4.33 MYR 17.66

-57.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.85 MYR 76.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 MYR 11.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MYR 18.94

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-62.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$16.11 MYR 65.7

-37.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$1.20 MYR 4.90

-23.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.41 MYR 1.67

70.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$7.48 MYR 30.52

-71.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$0.81 MYR 3.32

70.37%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

-57.47%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-22.46%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$36.85 MYR 150

207.87%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$9.64 MYR 39.32

-38.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$28.94 MYR 118

-54.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$40.19 MYR 164

-46.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$4.88 MYR 19.92

273.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$6.58 MYR 26.86

-36.02%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$199 MYR 812

-73.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

-57.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$57.6 MYR 235

-69.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$39.52 MYR 161

-40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$67.8 MYR 277

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$70.0 MYR 285

-41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$340 MYR 1,386

-65.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$308 MYR 1,255

-76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$564 MYR 2,301

-36.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$560 MYR 2,283

-66.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$1,502 MYR 6,128

-29.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,165 MYR 4,753

-58.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$1,264 MYR 5,156

-85.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

4.04

226.98%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Shah Alam

$75 8.1% 43.1% $57

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Shah Alam

$261 28% 158% $160

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Shah Alam

$308 33% 318% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 56% $38

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Shah Alam

$107 11.5% 75.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 78% $23

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 43.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $340 in Shah Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shah Alam pays 591% 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 $19.00 in Shah Alam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $261 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

20:19 8:19 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

812,327

💱 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 Shah Alam 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Shah 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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Shah Alam differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($482 vs $933 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 591% lower in Shah 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 $340 in Shah 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 $933 in Shah Alam – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 61% less than in Shah Alam. 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 Shah 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 94% less than in Shah Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.