Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $688 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Surabaya despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Surabaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $688 in Surabaya.

Karachi $490
Surabaya $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,191 in Surabaya.

Karachi $755
Surabaya $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,695 in Surabaya.

Karachi $1,019
Surabaya $1,695

Living in Karachi costs roughly 29% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Surabaya 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

27.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

17.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

73.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

34.39%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

-39.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.28 Rp 5,026

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

-29.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

-59.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

47.62%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

-23.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

-20.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

-38.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

-58.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

-45.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

-64.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

-74.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

-81.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

-53.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.43 Rp 7,679

2.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

-7.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.32 Rp 5,669

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$0.48 Rp 8,519

91.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.43 Rp 7,679

65.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

-14.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

62.65%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

-28.50%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

-18.37%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

29.76%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

32.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

-30.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

19.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

161.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

62.50%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$280 Rp 5.0M

-81.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

-79.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

-74.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

-42.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

-17.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

-44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$279 Rp 5.0M

-57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$147 Rp 2.6M

-48.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

-70.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$620 Rp 11.1M

-70.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

-51.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

-53.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$273 Rp 4.9M

-32.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

7.5

76.13%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 16.1% $21

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 107% $108

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 93.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 77.4% $52

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 5.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 22.9% $6.9

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 74.5% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $279 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 48% 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 $11.00 in Surabaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $101 vs $209, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

2 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Surabaya 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Surabaya differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $688 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Surabaya. 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: $117 in Karachi versus $279 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Surabaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $688 in Surabaya – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Surabaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.