Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Magelang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $522 in Magelang, rent and utilities included – about $320 less a year. The total is higher in Magelang despite lower rent and utilities.

Magelang, Indonesia
Karachi, Pakistan
Magelang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$522
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$495
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $522 in Magelang versus $495 in Karachi.

  • Magelang $522
  • Karachi $495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $829 in Magelang versus $770 in Karachi.

  • Magelang $829
  • Karachi $770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,136 in Magelang versus $1,046 in Karachi.

  • Magelang $1,136
  • Karachi $1,046

Living in Magelang is roughly 5% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Magelang 62% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.41 Rp 25.6K
$2.21 PKR 610
-36.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.48 Rp 153.9K
$12.87 PKR 3,562
-34.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.54 Rp 46.1K
$5.27 PKR 1,459
-51.80%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.16 PKR 598
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.36 PKR 2,036
-
Cappuccino
$0.74 Rp 13.3K
$2.16 PKR 598
-65.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 Rp 5,749
$0.38 PKR 106
-15.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 Rp 3,098
$0.25 PKR 69.3
-32.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.30 Rp 23.6K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 Rp 48.0K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 Rp 18.7K
$0.90 PKR 248
14.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 Rp 20.5K
$0.52 PKR 143
117.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.75 Rp 13.5K
$1.20 PKR 331
-37.50%
Eggs
$1.18 Rp 21.4K
$1.25 PKR 346
-5.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.45 Rp 117.1K
$5.82 PKR 1,611
10.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$3.11 PKR 861
-27.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.95 Rp 126.1K
$6.53 PKR 1,807
6.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.03 Rp 36.8K
$1.28 PKR 354
58.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.2K
$0.54 PKR 149
105.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.24 Rp 22.6K
$1.02 PKR 283
21.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.86 Rp 15.6K
$0.56 PKR 155
53.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 Rp 18.2K
$0.34 PKR 94.9
194.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 Rp 24.2K
$0.31 PKR 87.0
332.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.80 Rp 14.5K
$0.41 PKR 113
95.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.36 Rp 6,478
$0.43 PKR 120
-16.28%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.28 PKR 355
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.33 PKR 368
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.45 PKR 679
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.92 Rp 34.8K
$1.78 PKR 492
7.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.50 Rp 299.4K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 Rp 27.7K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 Rp 38.4K
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 Rp 5,325
$0.28 PKR 77.2
3.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.28 Rp 204.7K
$11.70 PKR 3,238
-3.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.43 Rp 7,755
$0.92 PKR 254
-53.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 Rp 5,787
$0.73 PKR 203
-56.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.18 Rp 39.5K
$2.22 PKR 615
-1.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.73 Rp 13.2K
$1.33 PKR 369
-45.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.4K Rp 460.5M
$18.3K PKR 5.1M
39.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K Rp 507.7M
$26.4K PKR 7.3M
6.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.08 Rp 836.0K
$112 PKR 31.0K
-58.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$5.99 PKR 1,657
-33.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.56 Rp 354.9K
$13.18 PKR 3,648
48.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.49 Rp 244.7K
$24.67 PKR 6,826
-45.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.64 Rp 66.0K
$18.29 PKR 5,062
-80.10%
Cinema Ticket
$2.54 Rp 46.1K
$4.34 PKR 1,202
-41.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$43.82 Rp 795.1K
$67.2 PKR 18.6K
-34.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,925 Rp 71.2M
$1,915 PKR 529.9K
104.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.01 Rp 345.0K
$17.61 PKR 4,874
7.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.05 Rp 345.6K
$22.03 PKR 6,097
-13.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$57.2 Rp 1.0M
$68.3 PKR 18.9K
-16.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.7 Rp 937.3K
$40.66 PKR 11.3K
27.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$226 Rp 4.1M
$136 PKR 37.6K
66.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$146 Rp 2.7M
$82.2 PKR 22.7K
78.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$561 Rp 10.2M
$392 PKR 108.5K
43.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 Rp 6.6M
$207 PKR 57.2K
74.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,159 Rp 21.0M
$1,046 PKR 289.5K
10.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$800 Rp 14.5M
$482 PKR 133.2K
66.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Magelang
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$170 Rp 3.1M
$184 PKR 51.0K
-7.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
13.21
-43.22%

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

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Magelang
$165
Karachi
$102 38.4% $63
Accommodation & Living
Magelang
$146
Karachi
$82 43.9% $64
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Magelang
$70
Karachi
$131 88.7% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Magelang
$66
Karachi
$67 1.1% $0.8
Eating Out
Magelang
$41
Karachi
$62 49.4% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Magelang
$19
Karachi
$33 79.6% $15
Getting Around
Magelang
$14
Karachi
$17 20.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Magelang and $136 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8 in Magelang vs $13 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $165 vs $102, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Magelang
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
23:23 11:23 PM
21:23 9:23 PM
2 h behind Magelang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
118,227
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Magelang Karachi 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Magelang
  • 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
Magelang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Magelang and in Karachi?
Magelang and Karachi differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($522 vs $495 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Magelang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Magelang and in Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $226 in Magelang versus $136 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Magelang or Karachi?
All in, you’ll spend $522 per month in Magelang versus $495 in Karachi – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Magelang and in Karachi?
A monthly transit pass in Magelang runs roughly 4% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
How far does $1,200 go in Magelang compared to Karachi?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Magelang and Karachi?
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.

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