Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makassar and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $641 in Makassar, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
Learn more

Makassar Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Makassar versus $482 in Karachi.

Makassar $641
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $985 in Makassar versus $750 in Karachi.

Makassar $985
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,328 in Makassar versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Makassar $1,328
Karachi $1,018

Living in Makassar is roughly 33% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makassar 53% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$2.13 PKR 588

-19.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.88 Rp 159.8K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-33.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-42.20%

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

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

$2.09 PKR 579

-8.13%

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

$0.50 Rp 9,030

$0.40 PKR 111

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,497

$0.26 PKR 71.1

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 Rp 59.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$0.92 PKR 254

72.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

$0.56 PKR 156

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

$1.25 PKR 345

-50.40%

Eggs

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

$1.23 PKR 341

21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 Rp 113.3K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

10.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 61.9K

$3.16 PKR 876

8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 Rp 94.3K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

$1.26 PKR 348

86.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$0.53 PKR 148

156.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

$1.00 PKR 276

90.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

$0.56 PKR 154

232.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$0.33 PKR 91.4

278.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

361.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$0.42 PKR 116

73.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,526

$0.44 PKR 121

-4.55%

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)

$2.63 Rp 47.4K

$1.84 PKR 509

42.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.11 Rp 398.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 54.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,854

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.30 Rp 77.5K

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-56.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,781

$0.92 PKR 256

-46.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 Rp 6,271

$0.70 PKR 193

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

$2.16 PKR 597

23.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$1.38 PKR 382

-46.38%

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

$23.9K Rp 430.8M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

33.71%

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

$30.9K Rp 557.0M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

14.25%

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

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-21.59%

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

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-54.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.90 Rp 448.1K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

89.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.47 Rp 386.5K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-0.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-53.92%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-20.19%

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

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

79.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,746 Rp 67.4M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

93.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.95 Rp 485.2K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

53.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.52 Rp 423.3K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

0.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

9.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.00 Rp 720.0K

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 Rp 4.2M

$118 PKR 32.7K

96.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

101.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 Rp 9.8M

$357 PKR 98.9K

52.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 Rp 6.5M

$188 PKR 52.0K

91.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 Rp 20.9M

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

9.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$803 Rp 14.5M

$481 PKR 133.1K

67.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$214 Rp 3.8M

$183 PKR 50.6K

16.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

13.21

-28.39%

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

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Makassar

$197 30.7%

Karachi

$101 21% 48.6% $96

Accommodation & Living

Makassar

$148 23.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 50.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makassar

$117 18.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 13.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Makassar

$75 11.6%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 9.2% $6.8

Eating Out

Makassar

$69 10.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 11% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Makassar

$28 4.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 6.3% $1.8

Getting Around

Makassar

$7.6 1.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 104% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $232 in Makassar and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makassar pays 17% 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: $9.00 in Makassar vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Makassar

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

3 h behind Makassar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,427,619

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Makassar Karachi 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Makassar
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

Makassar vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar and Karachi differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($641 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Makassar, 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: $232 in Makassar versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $641 per month in Makassar versus $482 in Karachi – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 132% less than in Makassar. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Makassar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.