Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kepong and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $909 in Kepong, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kepong
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Kepong Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$909

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kepong and in Karachi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kepong and in Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $909 in Kepong versus $482 in Karachi.

Kepong $909
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,366 in Kepong versus $750 in Karachi.

Kepong $1,366
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,823 in Kepong versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Kepong $1,823
Karachi $1,018

Living in Kepong is roughly 89% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kepong 33% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.31

$2.13 PKR 588

76.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.50 MYR 100.0

$13.30 PKR 3,680

84.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 MYR 20.13

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-9.36%

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

$3.01 MYR 12.28

$2.09 PKR 579

44.02%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.40 PKR 111

117.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.26 PKR 71.1

73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.86

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 MYR 23.81

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$0.92 PKR 254

91.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$0.56 PKR 156

85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.81

$1.25 PKR 345

13.60%

Eggs

$1.80 MYR 7.34

$1.23 PKR 341

46.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 MYR 40.00

$5.67 PKR 1,570

73.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 MYR 13.47

$3.16 PKR 876

4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 39.08

$6.28 PKR 1,737

52.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 MYR 13.51

$1.26 PKR 348

162.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.91

$0.53 PKR 148

218.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 MYR 11.06

$1.00 PKR 276

171.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.93

$0.56 PKR 154

203.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.99

$0.33 PKR 91.4

345.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$0.34 PKR 95.1

388.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$0.42 PKR 116

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.44 PKR 121

25.00%

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)

$4.17 MYR 17.00

$1.84 PKR 509

126.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 MYR 56.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$0.28 PKR 77.0

192.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 49.18

$9.99 PKR 2,764

20.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$0.92 PKR 256

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$0.70 PKR 193

-45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.05 MYR 36.91

$2.16 PKR 597

318.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.53

$1.38 PKR 382

-37.68%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

130.71%

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

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

18.22%

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

$49.51 MYR 202

$113 PKR 31.4K

-56.36%

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

$8.27 MYR 33.74

$5.95 PKR 1,648

38.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.27 MYR 111

$13.16 PKR 3,642

107.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 MYR 159

$21.55 PKR 5,965

81.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 MYR 27.48

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-63.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MYR 19.82

$4.21 PKR 1,165

15.44%

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

$164 MYR 668

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

214.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,528 MYR 18.5K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

133.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MYR 223

$17.55 PKR 4,858

211.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.36 MYR 99.4

$23.51 PKR 6,506

3.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 MYR 336

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

19.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 MYR 345

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

108.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 MYR 1,649

$118 PKR 32.7K

242.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 MYR 1,235

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

311.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 MYR 2,726

$357 PKR 98.9K

86.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MYR 1,967

$188 PKR 52.0K

156.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,997 MYR 8,147

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

88.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 MYR 4,378

$481 PKR 133.1K

123.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$644 MYR 2,628

$183 PKR 50.6K

252.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

13.21

-69.27%

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

Last update for Kepong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kepong

$303 33.3%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 75.7% $229

Groceries & Markets

Kepong

$228 25.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 55.7% $127

Eating Out

Kepong

$115 12.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 46.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Kepong

$111 12.2%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 38.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kepong

$85 9.4%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 55.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Kepong

$49 5.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 38.5% $19

Getting Around

Kepong

$18 2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 14.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Kepong and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kepong pays 252% 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: $25.00 in Kepong vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kepong

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

3 h behind Kepong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,960

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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).

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).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kepong Karachi 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kepong
Karachi

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

Kepong vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kepong and Karachi differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($909 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 252% higher in Kepong, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Kepong versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $909 per month in Kepong versus $482 in Karachi – 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 21% less than in Kepong. 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, Kepong and Karachi 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 Kepong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.