Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $866 in Sibu, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $866 in Sibu.

Karachi $483
Sibu $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $1,293 in Sibu.

Karachi $754
Sibu $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $1,720 in Sibu.

Karachi $1,025
Sibu $1,720

Living in Karachi costs roughly 44% less than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Sibu 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$2.16 MYR 8.82

-2.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$19.47 MYR 79.4

-29.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$4.21 MYR 17.18

31.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$2.38 MYR 9.70

-10.08%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.67 MYR 2.74

-40.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.23 MYR 0.93

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MYR 11.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.96

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.89 MYR 3.65

-38.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-28.14%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$2.24 MYR 9.16

-44.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$11.65 MYR 47.53

-48.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$3.84 MYR 15.66

-16.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$9.69 MYR 39.55

-33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$3.72 MYR 15.16

-66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$1.53 MYR 6.26

-65.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$2.34 MYR 9.55

-55.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$1.38 MYR 5.62

-63.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$1.12 MYR 4.58

-72.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-76.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$1.17 MYR 4.76

-64.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.54 MYR 2.22

-18.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$4.53 MYR 18.48

-59.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MYR 74.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.83 MYR 3.40

-66.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$13.85 MYR 56.5

-29.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.40 MYR 5.70

-37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.54 MYR 2.18

37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$8.01 MYR 32.68

-72.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$0.80 MYR 3.28

72.50%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

-62.63%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-25.81%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$49.59 MYR 202

128.43%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$7.14 MYR 29.14

-14.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$26.47 MYR 108

-50.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$26.94 MYR 110

-19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$6.44 MYR 26.26

183.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$3.74 MYR 15.24

13.90%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$181 MYR 739

-71.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

-71.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$55.4 MYR 226

-68.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$30.48 MYR 124

-24.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$89.2 MYR 364

-23.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$75.2 MYR 307

-44.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$340 MYR 1,386

-65.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$282 MYR 1,150

-74.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$597 MYR 2,437

-39.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$451 MYR 1,841

-58.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$1,782 MYR 7,272

-39.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$966 MYR 3,941

-50.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

$496 MYR 2,021

-63.25%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Sibu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Sibu

$83 9.6% 37.2% $49

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Sibu

$247 28.5% 142% $145

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Sibu

$282 32.6% 285% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Sibu

$113 13% 66.8% $45

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Sibu

$85 9.9% 38% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Sibu

$34 4% 13.5% $4.1

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Sibu

$21 2.5% 37.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

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

Sibu pays 172% 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: $14.00 in Karachi vs $19.00 in Sibu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $247 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

198,239

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi Sibu 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Sibu differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $866 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 172% lower in Sibu. 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 Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $483 per month in Karachi versus $866 in Sibu – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 41% less than in Sibu. 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 Sibu 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 79% less than in Sibu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.