Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuantan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $839 in Kuantan, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Kuantan
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Kuantan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Kuantan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $839 in Kuantan versus $482 in Karachi.

Kuantan $839
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,219 in Kuantan versus $750 in Karachi.

Kuantan $1,219
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,599 in Kuantan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Kuantan $1,599
Karachi $1,018

Living in Kuantan is roughly 74% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuantan 38% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 MYR 10.18

$2.13 PKR 588

16.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 MYR 48.96

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-9.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.63 MYR 14.83

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-33.39%

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

$2.88 MYR 11.73

$2.09 PKR 579

37.80%

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

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.40 PKR 111

77.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.26 PKR 71.1

73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MYR 11.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 23.37

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.52

$0.92 PKR 254

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.56 PKR 156

46.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.98

$1.25 PKR 345

17.60%

Eggs

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$1.23 PKR 341

6.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 38.79

$5.67 PKR 1,570

67.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$3.16 PKR 876

3.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.04

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.35

$1.26 PKR 348

140.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$0.53 PKR 148

264.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$1.00 PKR 276

173.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.14

$0.56 PKR 154

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$0.33 PKR 91.4

421.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.93

$0.34 PKR 95.1

470.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 MYR 3.12

$0.42 PKR 116

80.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.44 PKR 121

27.27%

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)

$4.38 MYR 17.85

$1.84 PKR 509

138.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.95 MYR 81.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MYR 7.81

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.28 PKR 77.0

82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 MYR 49.55

$9.99 PKR 2,764

21.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$0.92 PKR 256

22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.45

$0.70 PKR 193

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.05 MYR 36.92

$2.16 PKR 597

318.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$1.38 PKR 382

-62.32%

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

$34.1K MYR 139.1K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

90.53%

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

$33.1K MYR 134.9K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

22.14%

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

$49.82 MYR 203

$113 PKR 31.4K

-56.09%

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

$8.06 MYR 32.86

$5.95 PKR 1,648

35.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$13.16 PKR 3,642

83.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.79 MYR 162

$21.55 PKR 5,965

84.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.83 MYR 27.87

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-62.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MYR 18.98

$4.21 PKR 1,165

10.45%

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

$280 MYR 1,142

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

436.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K MYR 41.8K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

427.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 MYR 214

$17.55 PKR 4,858

198.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 MYR 124

$23.51 PKR 6,506

28.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.62 MYR 202

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-27.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.89 MYR 199

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 MYR 1,675

$118 PKR 32.7K

247.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MYR 1,232

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

310.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 MYR 2,822

$357 PKR 98.9K

93.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 MYR 1,943

$188 PKR 52.0K

153.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,015 MYR 8,220

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

90.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,090 MYR 4,448

$481 PKR 133.1K

126.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MYR 3,976

$183 PKR 50.6K

432.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

13.21

-68.58%

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

Last update for Kuantan: 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

Kuantan

$302 36%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 75.6% $228

Groceries & Markets

Kuantan

$212 25.3%

Karachi

$101 21% 52.3% $111

Eating Out

Kuantan

$95 11.4%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 36% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuantan

$82 9.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 61.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Kuantan

$82 9.7%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 16.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kuantan

$49 5.9%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 39% $19

Getting Around

Kuantan

$17 2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 9.1% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Kuantan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuantan pays 433% 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: $12.00 in Kuantan vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuantan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

3 h behind Kuantan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

548,014

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

Kuantan Karachi 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuantan
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

Kuantan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuantan and Karachi differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($839 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 433% higher in Kuantan, 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: $411 in Kuantan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $839 per month in Kuantan versus $482 in Karachi – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 22% less than in Kuantan. 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, Kuantan 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 74% less than in Kuantan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.