Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $490 in Karachi.

Kota Kinabalu $917
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu versus $755 in Karachi.

Kota Kinabalu $1,429
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Kota Kinabalu $1,941
Karachi $1,019

Living in Kota Kinabalu is roughly 87% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kota Kinabalu 32% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.59

$2.15 PKR 596

66.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.54 MYR 79.8

$13.37 PKR 3,700

46.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 MYR 20.09

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-6.99%

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

$2.63 MYR 10.74

$2.11 PKR 583

24.64%

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

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$0.37 PKR 103

62.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$0.28 PKR 78.2

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MYR 15.27

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$0.86 PKR 238

102.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 MYR 5.23

$0.52 PKR 144

146.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$1.24 PKR 344

82.26%

Eggs

$3.46 MYR 14.13

$1.24 PKR 342

179.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.33 MYR 116

$5.86 PKR 1,622

383.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 MYR 15.05

$3.12 PKR 862

18.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 MYR 27.27

$6.25 PKR 1,731

6.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MYR 9.15

$1.29 PKR 356

73.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$0.54 PKR 150

164.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$0.99 PKR 273

95.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$0.56 PKR 155

255.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.81

$0.33 PKR 91.6

406.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.71

$0.35 PKR 95.9

508.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$0.45 PKR 124

108.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.44 PKR 121

6.82%

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)

$4.92 MYR 20.10

$1.79 PKR 497

174.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 MYR 64.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 MYR 14.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 MYR 7.80

$0.28 PKR 76.5

582.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 MYR 171

$9.68 PKR 2,679

333.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MYR 7.82

$0.92 PKR 255

107.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 MYR 0.94

$0.71 PKR 196

-67.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$1.35 PKR 372

-43.70%

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

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

136.21%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

33.26%

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

$70.5 MYR 288

$112 PKR 30.9K

-36.96%

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

$9.69 MYR 39.56

$6.05 PKR 1,673

60.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.36 MYR 132

$13.29 PKR 3,679

143.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 MYR 214

$21.51 PKR 5,954

143.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.09 MYR 12.64

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-82.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MYR 21.31

$4.42 PKR 1,222

18.10%

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

$141 MYR 575

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

177.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

257.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 MYR 333

$17.57 PKR 4,862

363.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 MYR 150

$22.78 PKR 6,304

60.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 MYR 382

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

38.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.75 MYR 199

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 MYR 1,735

$117 PKR 32.5K

262.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 MYR 788

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

154.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 MYR 2,771

$365 PKR 101.1K

85.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,501

$182 PKR 50.5K

101.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,546

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

75.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 MYR 4,489

$491 PKR 135.8K

124.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 MYR 2,419

$185 PKR 51.2K

220.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

13.21

-70.48%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 64.9% $187

Accommodation & Living

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 60.8% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 42.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 16.5% $19

Eating Out

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 37.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 51.6% $32

Getting Around

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 71% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $425 in Kota Kinabalu and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Kinabalu pays 220% 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: $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

3 h behind Kota Kinabalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,425

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 = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

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).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kota Kinabalu Karachi 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Kinabalu
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

Kota Kinabalu vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu and Karachi differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($917 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 220% higher in Kota Kinabalu, 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: $425 in Kota Kinabalu versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $917 per month in Kota Kinabalu versus $490 in Karachi – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 333% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Kota Kinabalu. 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, Kota Kinabalu 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 87% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.