Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $933 in Sarawak, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
Learn more

Sarawak Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $933 in Sarawak versus $483 in Karachi.

Sarawak $933
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Sarawak versus $754 in Karachi.

Sarawak $1,391
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,849 in Sarawak versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Sarawak $1,849
Karachi $1,025

Living in Sarawak is roughly 93% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sarawak 31% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.88

$2.11 PKR 585

72.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.77 MYR 80.6

$13.73 PKR 3,801

43.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 MYR 19.38

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-14.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$2.88 MYR 11.74

$2.14 PKR 593

34.58%

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

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.40 PKR 111

102.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.61

$0.28 PKR 77.7

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 MYR 14.68

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.81

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.58

$0.90 PKR 250

106.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$0.55 PKR 153

89.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.04

$1.20 PKR 333

23.33%

Eggs

$2.04 MYR 8.32

$1.25 PKR 346

63.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 MYR 56.5

$5.96 PKR 1,650

132.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 MYR 17.54

$3.19 PKR 883

34.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 MYR 38.47

$6.48 PKR 1,793

45.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MYR 12.83

$1.24 PKR 344

153.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.97

$0.53 PKR 147

222.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 10.22

$1.03 PKR 284

143.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.55

$0.51 PKR 142

215.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.18

$0.31 PKR 85.1

309.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$0.31 PKR 87.1

270.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.79

$0.41 PKR 113

185.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.18

$0.44 PKR 120

20.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

$1.83 PKR 508

148.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 MYR 78.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.28 PKR 76.8

153.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 MYR 49.57

$9.81 PKR 2,716

23.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.87 PKR 240

43.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.74 PKR 204

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 MYR 29.41

$2.23 PKR 617

223.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$1.38 PKR 383

-40.58%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

129.90%

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

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

31.47%

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

$48.56 MYR 198

$113 PKR 31.4K

-57.13%

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

$9.65 MYR 39.38

$6.12 PKR 1,694

57.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.71 MYR 113

$13.11 PKR 3,628

111.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.76 MYR 166

$21.78 PKR 6,029

87.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.10 MYR 28.98

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-61.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.05

$4.26 PKR 1,179

15.49%

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

$190 MYR 775

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

264.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

264.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MYR 232

$17.53 PKR 4,852

223.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 MYR 141

$22.88 PKR 6,332

50.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 MYR 325

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 MYR 310

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

82.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,674

$118 PKR 32.5K

248.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,219

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

308.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MYR 2,742

$360 PKR 99.6K

86.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MYR 1,946

$188 PKR 52.1K

153.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,042 MYR 8,329

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

88.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 MYR 4,381

$474 PKR 131.2K

126.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 MYR 1,381

$182 PKR 50.4K

85.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

13.21

-69.27%

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

Last update for Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarawak

$299 32%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 75.5% $226

Groceries & Markets

Sarawak

$258 27.6%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 60.4% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Sarawak

$111 11.9%

Karachi

$68 14% 39.2% $44

Eating Out

Sarawak

$110 11.8%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 43.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarawak

$86 9.2%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 54.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sarawak

$51 5.4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 40.1% $20

Getting Around

Sarawak

$19 2%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 17.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $410 in Sarawak and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarawak pays 86% 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 Sarawak vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

3 h behind Sarawak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Sarawak Karachi 5,310 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarawak
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

Sarawak vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarawak and Karachi differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($933 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Sarawak, 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: $410 in Sarawak versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $933 per month in Sarawak versus $483 in Karachi – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 24% less than in Sarawak. 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, Sarawak 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 93% less than in Sarawak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.