Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $887 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$887

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Kuching versus $490 in Karachi.

Kuching $887
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Kuching versus $755 in Karachi.

Kuching $1,389
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,892 in Kuching versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Kuching $1,892
Karachi $1,019

Living in Kuching is roughly 81% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 34% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 MYR 13.60

$2.15 PKR 596

54.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.53 MYR 100

$13.37 PKR 3,700

83.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 MYR 19.89

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-7.94%

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

$3.17 MYR 12.93

$2.11 PKR 583

50.24%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.04

$0.37 PKR 103

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.28 PKR 78.2

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.15

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$0.86 PKR 238

168.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 MYR 5.16

$0.52 PKR 144

142.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$1.24 PKR 344

-7.26%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.03

$1.24 PKR 342

98.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 MYR 44.72

$5.86 PKR 1,622

86.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.17

$3.12 PKR 862

42.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 MYR 40.42

$6.25 PKR 1,731

58.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.93

$1.29 PKR 356

145.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$0.54 PKR 150

153.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 MYR 9.80

$0.99 PKR 273

142.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.42

$0.56 PKR 155

225.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$0.33 PKR 91.6

327.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$0.35 PKR 95.9

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MYR 6.35

$0.45 PKR 124

246.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$0.44 PKR 121

22.73%

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)

$4.51 MYR 18.41

$1.79 PKR 497

151.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.59 MYR 88.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.06 MYR 16.58

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MYR 2.37

$0.28 PKR 76.5

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.5

$9.68 PKR 2,679

27.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$0.92 PKR 255

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$0.71 PKR 196

74.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 MYR 33.99

$2.22 PKR 615

274.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 MYR 3.68

$1.35 PKR 372

-33.33%

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

$40.9K MYR 167.2K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

129.54%

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

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

35.04%

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

$35.18 MYR 144

$112 PKR 30.9K

-68.53%

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

$9.95 MYR 40.63

$6.05 PKR 1,673

64.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 MYR 103

$13.29 PKR 3,679

90.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 MYR 123

$21.51 PKR 5,954

40.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.38 MYR 50.6

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-30.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.72

$4.42 PKR 1,222

9.28%

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

$135 MYR 551

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

166.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,000 MYR 28.6K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

257.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 MYR 258

$17.57 PKR 4,862

259.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 MYR 154

$22.78 PKR 6,304

65.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 MYR 368

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

33.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 MYR 269

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

60.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 MYR 1,471

$117 PKR 32.5K

207.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 MYR 1,001

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

223.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 MYR 2,642

$365 PKR 101.1K

77.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,953

$182 PKR 50.5K

162.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,073 MYR 8,464

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

96.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 MYR 6,157

$491 PKR 135.8K

207.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$530 MYR 2,165

$185 PKR 51.2K

186.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

13.21

-66.92%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$271 30.7%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 62.8% $170

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$245 27.8%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 69.1% $169

Eating Out

Kuching

$119 13.4%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 48.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$116 13.1%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 42% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$70 8%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 86.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$40 4.5%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 23.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Kuching

$22 2.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 30.3% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Kuching and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 187% 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 Kuching vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

08:12 8:12 AM

3 h behind Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

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

Kuching Karachi 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
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

Kuching vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching and Karachi differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 187% higher in Kuching, 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: $360 in Kuching versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Kuching versus $490 in Karachi – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 28% less than in Kuching. 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, Kuching 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 81% less than in Kuching. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.