Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $613 in Medan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Medan despite lower rent and utilities.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $613 in Medan versus $482 in Karachi.

Medan $613
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Medan versus $750 in Karachi.

Medan $940
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,266 in Medan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Medan $1,266
Karachi $1,018

Living in Medan is roughly 27% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$2.13 PKR 588

-19.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-45.87%

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

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$2.09 PKR 579

-26.79%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$0.40 PKR 111

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$0.92 PKR 254

20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.56 PKR 156

110.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$1.25 PKR 345

-35.20%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$1.23 PKR 341

7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

43.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$3.16 PKR 876

13.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

1.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$1.26 PKR 348

90.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.53 PKR 148

98.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$1.00 PKR 276

42.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$0.56 PKR 154

66.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.33 PKR 91.4

154.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

429.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$0.42 PKR 116

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$0.44 PKR 121

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)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$1.84 PKR 509

55.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-40.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.92 PKR 256

-44.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$0.70 PKR 193

-72.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$1.38 PKR 382

-42.03%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

37.83%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

18.95%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-25.22%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-46.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

79.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-21.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-53.87%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-21.85%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

114.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

-12.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

208.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

63.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

56.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

173.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$118 PKR 32.7K

97.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

21.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$357 PKR 98.9K

38.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$188 PKR 52.0K

12.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

9.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$481 PKR 133.1K

16.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$183 PKR 50.6K

17.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

13.21

-29.98%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Karachi

$101 21% 44% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 51.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 18.8% $21

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 18% $16

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 4.1% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 27.4% $6.4

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 83.2% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $233 in Medan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medan pays 18% 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: $8.00 in Medan vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $181 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

2 h behind Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

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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Between locations

Medan Karachi 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medan
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

Medan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan and Karachi differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($613 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Medan, 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: $233 in Medan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $613 per month in Medan versus $482 in Karachi – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 68% less than in Medan. 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 27% less than in Medan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.