Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataram and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $608 in Mataram, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
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Mataram Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$608

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Mataram versus $483 in Karachi.

Mataram $608
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $967 in Mataram versus $754 in Karachi.

Mataram $967
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,327 in Mataram versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Mataram $1,327
Karachi $1,025

Living in Mataram is roughly 26% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mataram 55% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.93 Rp 16.8K

$2.11 PKR 585

-55.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 Rp 166.0K

$13.73 PKR 3,801

-32.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 Rp 57.8K

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-41.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$2.14 PKR 593

-31.31%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,889

$0.40 PKR 111

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 Rp 5,491

$0.28 PKR 77.7

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

$0.90 PKR 250

53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$0.55 PKR 153

167.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$1.20 PKR 333

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$1.25 PKR 346

19.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 Rp 128.2K

$5.96 PKR 1,650

19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 Rp 54.1K

$3.19 PKR 883

-5.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.39 Rp 133.0K

$6.48 PKR 1,793

14.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$1.24 PKR 344

83.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

$0.53 PKR 147

135.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$1.03 PKR 284

65.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

$0.51 PKR 142

152.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$0.31 PKR 85.1

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

$0.31 PKR 87.1

525.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

$0.41 PKR 113

78.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,214

$0.44 PKR 120

-9.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

$1.83 PKR 508

43.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.99 Rp 377.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 Rp 54.7K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,838

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,960

$0.87 PKR 240

-42.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 Rp 6,222

$0.74 PKR 204

-52.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

$2.23 PKR 617

21.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

$1.38 PKR 383

-55.07%

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

$23.8K Rp 428.7M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

29.78%

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

$30.6K Rp 551.3M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

15.83%

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

$66.0 Rp 1.2M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-41.77%

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

$3.96 Rp 71.3K

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-35.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.47 Rp 350.5K

$13.11 PKR 3,628

48.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.35 Rp 348.4K

$21.78 PKR 6,029

-11.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.15 Rp 146.8K

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-55.39%

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 Rp 51.2K

$4.26 PKR 1,179

-33.10%

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

$94.8 Rp 1.7M

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

81.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,572 Rp 136.3M

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

290.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.19 Rp 795.3K

$17.53 PKR 4,852

152.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.84 Rp 519.0K

$22.88 PKR 6,332

26.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

71.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 Rp 4.0M

$118 PKR 32.5K

91.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 Rp 2.4M

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

81.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 Rp 9.5M

$360 PKR 99.6K

47.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 Rp 6.4M

$188 PKR 52.1K

88.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 Rp 21.3M

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

9.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$796 Rp 14.3M

$474 PKR 131.2K

67.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 Rp 4.0M

$182 PKR 50.4K

22.00%

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 Mataram: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mataram

$201 33.1%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 49.3% $99

Accommodation & Living

Mataram

$133 21.9%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 45% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Mataram

$98 16.1%

Karachi

$68 14% 31.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataram

$89 14.7%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 48.2% $43

Eating Out

Mataram

$58 9.6%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 6.5% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mataram

$25 4.1%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 21% $5.3

Getting Around

Mataram

$3.3 * 0.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 369% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Mataram and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mataram pays 22% 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 Mataram vs $14.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $102, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Mataram

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

3 h behind Mataram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

402,843

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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Mataram Karachi 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mataram
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

Mataram vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mataram and Karachi differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($608 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Mataram, 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: $225 in Mataram versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Mataram. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $608 per month in Mataram versus $483 in Karachi – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 26% less than in Mataram. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.