Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salatiga and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Salatiga: $456 a month against $482 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Karachi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

22

Cost of Living Index in Salatiga
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Salatiga Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Salatiga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$456

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $456 in Salatiga versus $482 in Karachi.

Salatiga $456
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $675 in Salatiga versus $750 in Karachi.

Salatiga $675
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $893 in Salatiga versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Salatiga $893
Karachi $1,018

Living in Salatiga costs roughly 5% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Salatiga 66% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$2.13 PKR 588

-59.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.95 Rp 160.6K

$13.30 PKR 3,678

-32.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 Rp 48.9K

$5.45 PKR 1,507

-49.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,004

Cappuccino

$1.43 Rp 25.6K

$2.09 PKR 579

-31.58%

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

$0.30 Rp 5,468

$0.40 PKR 111

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 Rp 3,370

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 Rp 34.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 Rp 75.8K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

$0.92 PKR 254

31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

$0.56 PKR 156

137.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.25 PKR 345

-32.00%

Eggs

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

$1.23 PKR 341

-2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 Rp 138.2K

$5.67 PKR 1,569

35.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 Rp 55.5K

$3.16 PKR 875

-2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 Rp 137.1K

$6.28 PKR 1,736

21.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.1K

$1.26 PKR 348

59.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.53 PKR 147

139.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 Rp 32.8K

$1.00 PKR 276

83.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$0.56 PKR 154

169.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.5K

$0.33 PKR 91.3

296.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

461.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 Rp 6,193

$0.42 PKR 116

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,392

$0.44 PKR 121

-18.18%

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)

$1.98 Rp 35.6K

$1.84 PKR 508

7.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.70 Rp 443.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 Rp 29.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.3K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,732

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,763

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,875

$0.92 PKR 256

-52.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,712

$0.70 PKR 193

-38.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Rp 49.0K

$2.16 PKR 596

26.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 Rp 12.0K

$1.38 PKR 382

-51.45%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.1M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

37.65%

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

$32.2K Rp 577.4M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

18.81%

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

$87.8 Rp 1.6M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-22.65%

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

$4.59 Rp 82.4K

$5.95 PKR 1,647

-22.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.52 Rp 350.2K

$13.16 PKR 3,640

48.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.25 Rp 201.8K

$21.55 PKR 5,962

-47.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,041

Cinema Ticket

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$4.21 PKR 1,164

-52.49%

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

$283 Rp 5.1M

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

441.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,389 Rp 168.5M

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

383.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.60 Rp 405.5K

$17.55 PKR 4,855

28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.36 Rp 203.8K

$23.51 PKR 6,502

-51.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.96 Rp 806.7K

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-34.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 Rp 1.3M

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

80.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$118 PKR 32.6K

39.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$183 PKR 50.6K

-18.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

13.21

-43.22%

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

Last update for Salatiga: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salatiga

$205 44.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 50.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salatiga

$112 24.5%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 18.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Salatiga

$69 15%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 1.1% $0.8

Eating Out

Salatiga

$52 11.4%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 17.1% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Salatiga

$15 3.3%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 96.7% $15

Getting Around

Salatiga

$3.4 * 0.8%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 354% $12

Accommodation & Living

Salatiga

- * 0%

Karachi

$74 15.3%

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 $165 in Salatiga and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 23% 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 Salatiga vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Salatiga

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

2 h behind Salatiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,000

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 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 = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,204 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 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

Salatiga Karachi 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Salatiga
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

Salatiga vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salatiga and Karachi differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($456 vs $482 including rent). Salatiga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Karachi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $165 in Salatiga versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Karachi pay roughly 102% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $456 per month in Salatiga versus $482 in Karachi – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Salatiga 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, Salatiga 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 Salatiga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.