Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palangkaraya and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $619 in Palangkaraya, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Palangkaraya
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$619
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $619 in Palangkaraya versus $482 in Karachi.

  • Palangkaraya $619
  • Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $988 in Palangkaraya versus $750 in Karachi.

  • Palangkaraya $988
  • Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,356 in Palangkaraya versus $1,018 in Karachi.

  • Palangkaraya $1,356
  • Karachi $1,018

Living in Palangkaraya is roughly 29% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Palangkaraya 54% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.42 Rp 25.6K
$2.13 PKR 588
-33.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.95 Rp 251.2K
$13.30 PKR 3,680
4.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.71 Rp 66.7K
$5.45 PKR 1,508
-31.93%
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
$1.55 Rp 27.9K
$2.09 PKR 579
-25.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 Rp 8,405
$0.40 PKR 111
17.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 Rp 3,672
$0.26 PKR 71.1
-23.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 Rp 68.3K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 Rp 21.3K
$0.92 PKR 254
28.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 Rp 19.9K
$0.56 PKR 156
96.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.25 PKR 345
-33.60%
Eggs
$1.46 Rp 26.3K
$1.23 PKR 341
18.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.14 Rp 128.5K
$5.67 PKR 1,570
25.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.15 Rp 38.7K
$3.16 PKR 876
-31.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.41 Rp 115.3K
$6.28 PKR 1,737
2.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 Rp 39.9K
$1.26 PKR 348
76.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$0.53 PKR 148
224.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 Rp 30.7K
$1.00 PKR 276
71.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.95 Rp 17.1K
$0.56 PKR 154
69.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 Rp 21.7K
$0.33 PKR 91.4
266.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 Rp 35.8K
$0.34 PKR 95.1
485.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 Rp 13.1K
$0.42 PKR 116
73.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 Rp 7,540
$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)
$2.75 Rp 49.5K
$1.84 PKR 509
49.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.88 Rp 411.8K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 Rp 33.7K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 Rp 55.8K
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 Rp 4,898
$0.28 PKR 77.0
-3.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.99 PKR 2,764
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.56 Rp 10.1K
$0.92 PKR 256
-39.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 Rp 6,268
$0.70 PKR 193
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.85 Rp 51.2K
$2.16 PKR 597
31.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.65 Rp 11.7K
$1.38 PKR 382
-52.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.5K Rp 440.7M
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
36.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K Rp 494.8M
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
1.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$65.8 Rp 1.2M
$113 PKR 31.4K
-42.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.39 Rp 79.0K
$5.95 PKR 1,648
-26.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.27 Rp 346.8K
$13.16 PKR 3,642
46.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$5.70 Rp 102.6K
$21.55 PKR 5,965
-73.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.00 Rp 161.9K
$18.23 PKR 5,044
-50.63%
Cinema Ticket
$3.16 Rp 56.9K
$4.21 PKR 1,165
-24.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$101 Rp 1.8M
$52.2 PKR 14.4K
94.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,849 Rp 141.3M
$1,940 PKR 537.0K
304.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.00 Rp 702.1K
$17.55 PKR 4,858
122.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.04 Rp 450.7K
$23.51 PKR 6,506
6.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.1 Rp 1.5M
$68.9 PKR 19.1K
22.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.4 Rp 1.4M
$40.59 PKR 11.2K
85.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$217 Rp 3.9M
$118 PKR 32.7K
83.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$158 Rp 2.8M
$73.6 PKR 20.4K
114.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$507 Rp 9.1M
$357 PKR 98.9K
41.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$392 Rp 7.1M
$188 PKR 52.0K
108.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,013 Rp 18.2M
$1,060 PKR 293.4K
-4.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$899 Rp 16.2M
$481 PKR 133.1K
87.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palangkaraya
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$183 PKR 50.6K
-
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 Palangkaraya: 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
Palangkaraya
$193
Karachi
$101 47.6% $92
Accommodation & Living
Palangkaraya
$158
Karachi
$74 53.5% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Palangkaraya
$101
Karachi
$68 32.7% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palangkaraya
$89
Karachi
$133 48.3% $43
Eating Out
Palangkaraya
$62
Karachi
$61 2.1% $1.3
Sport & Entertainment
Palangkaraya
$12
Karachi
$30 149% $18
Getting Around
Palangkaraya
$3.4 *
Karachi
$16 358% $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 $217 in Palangkaraya and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Palangkaraya vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Palangkaraya
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
11:57 11:57 AM
09:57 9:57 AM
2 h behind Palangkaraya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
220,962
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Palangkaraya Karachi 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Palangkaraya
  • 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
Palangkaraya vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Palangkaraya and in Karachi?
Palangkaraya and Karachi differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($619 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Palangkaraya compared to Karachi?
You'd need roughly $929 in Palangkaraya and $723 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Palangkaraya and in Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $217 in Palangkaraya versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 91% higher in Palangkaraya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Palangkaraya or Karachi?
All in, you'll spend $619 per month in Palangkaraya versus $482 in Karachi – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How far does $1,200 go in Palangkaraya 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 Palangkaraya 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.
Where should expats move: Palangkaraya or Karachi?
Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Palangkaraya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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