Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarinda and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $647 in Samarinda, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Samarinda versus $482 in Karachi.

Samarinda $647
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,021 in Samarinda versus $750 in Karachi.

Samarinda $1,021
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,395 in Samarinda versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Samarinda $1,395
Karachi $1,018

Living in Samarinda is roughly 34% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samarinda 52% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$2.13 PKR 588

-20.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

2.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-38.53%

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)

$0.44 Rp 7,903

$0.40 PKR 111

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,499

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$0.92 PKR 254

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$0.56 PKR 156

48.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

$1.25 PKR 345

-43.20%

Eggs

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

$1.23 PKR 341

13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

27.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

$3.16 PKR 876

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

59.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

$1.26 PKR 348

307.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$0.53 PKR 148

109.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

$1.00 PKR 276

9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

$0.56 PKR 154

162.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$0.33 PKR 91.4

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

417.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

$0.42 PKR 116

78.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,097

$0.44 PKR 121

15.91%

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)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$1.84 PKR 509

13.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 Rp 5,403

$0.28 PKR 77.0

7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,935

$0.92 PKR 256

-45.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,183

$0.70 PKR 193

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

$2.16 PKR 597

23.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.38 PKR 382

-41.30%

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

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

49.74%

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

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

14.70%

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

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-40.73%

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

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-20.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

42.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-50.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-34.68%

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

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

72.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

317.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

172.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

37.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

11.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

82.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 Rp 3.5M

$118 PKR 32.7K

65.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

100.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 Rp 8.8M

$357 PKR 98.9K

37.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$188 PKR 52.0K

79.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

4.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 Rp 13.1M

$481 PKR 133.1K

51.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 Rp 6.0M

$183 PKR 50.6K

83.74%

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 Samarinda: 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

Samarinda

$213 32.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 52.5% $112

Accommodation & Living

Samarinda

$148 22.8%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 50.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Samarinda

$104 16.1%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 34.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarinda

$91 14%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 46% $42

Eating Out

Samarinda

$63 9.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 3% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Samarinda

$25 3.9%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 18.9% $4.8

Getting Around

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 355% $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 $195 in Samarinda and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samarinda pays 84% 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: $14.00 in Samarinda vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

09:51 9:51 AM

3 h behind Samarinda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

726,223

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 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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samarinda Karachi 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Samarinda
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

Samarinda vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samarinda and Karachi differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($647 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Samarinda, 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: $195 in Samarinda versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Samarinda. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $647 per month in Samarinda versus $482 in Karachi – a 34% 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 34% less than in Samarinda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.