Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $741 in Rawang, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Rawang despite lower rent and utilities.

36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $741 in Rawang versus $482 in Karachi.

Rawang $741
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,183 in Rawang versus $750 in Karachi.

Rawang $1,183
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,624 in Rawang versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Rawang $1,624
Karachi $1,018

Living in Rawang is roughly 54% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawang 45% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.31

$2.13 PKR 588

76.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 MYR 80.3

$13.30 PKR 3,680

47.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MYR 20.55

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-7.52%

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

$2.99 MYR 12.20

$2.09 PKR 579

43.06%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.38

$0.40 PKR 111

107.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.61

$0.26 PKR 71.1

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.89

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 MYR 7.96

$0.92 PKR 254

111.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.56 PKR 156

85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.19

$1.25 PKR 345

40.80%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$1.23 PKR 341

81.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 MYR 57.7

$5.67 PKR 1,570

149.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.29

$3.16 PKR 876

41.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.19

$6.28 PKR 1,737

56.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 MYR 12.49

$1.26 PKR 348

142.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.49

$0.53 PKR 148

247.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$1.00 PKR 276

163.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$0.56 PKR 154

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$0.33 PKR 91.4

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$0.34 PKR 95.1

291.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.80

$0.42 PKR 116

180.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$0.44 PKR 121

29.55%

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)

$4.54 MYR 18.53

$1.84 PKR 509

146.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.13 MYR 78.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 MYR 12.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 MYR 20.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.28 PKR 77.0

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$9.99 PKR 2,764

23.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$0.92 PKR 256

80.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$0.70 PKR 193

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 MYR 28.05

$2.16 PKR 597

218.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.64

$1.38 PKR 382

-35.51%

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

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

136.91%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

27.97%

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

$36.56 MYR 149

$113 PKR 31.4K

-67.77%

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

$9.78 MYR 39.90

$5.95 PKR 1,648

64.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 MYR 120

$13.16 PKR 3,642

122.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 MYR 163

$21.55 PKR 5,965

85.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.13 MYR 29.08

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-60.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.99

$4.21 PKR 1,165

16.39%

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

$301 MYR 1,227

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

476.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

463.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 244

$17.55 PKR 4,858

240.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.75 MYR 146

$23.51 PKR 6,506

52.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 MYR 337

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 MYR 289

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

74.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 MYR 569

$118 PKR 32.7K

18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 MYR 421

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

40.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 MYR 2,354

$357 PKR 98.9K

61.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 MYR 945

$188 PKR 52.0K

23.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,051 MYR 8,368

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

93.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,090 MYR 4,445

$481 PKR 133.1K

126.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,035 MYR 4,223

$183 PKR 50.6K

465.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

13.21

-68.36%

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

Last update for Rawang: 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

Rawang

$266 35.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 61.9% $165

Eating Out

Rawang

$116 15.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 47.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.1%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 39.6% $44

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$103 13.9%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 28.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$76 10.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 75.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$50 6.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 39.6% $20

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 17.8% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $140 in Rawang and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang pays 466% 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: $20.00 in Rawang vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

3 h behind Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rawang Karachi 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rawang
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

Rawang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawang and Karachi differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($741 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 466% higher in Rawang, 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: $140 in Rawang versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $741 per month in Rawang versus $482 in Karachi – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 23% less than in Rawang. 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.

Safety-wise, Rawang and Karachi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Rawang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.