Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $599 in Semarang, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $599 in Semarang versus $482 in Karachi.

Semarang $599
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $945 in Semarang versus $750 in Karachi.

Semarang $945
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,292 in Semarang versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Semarang $1,292
Karachi $1,018

Living in Semarang is roughly 24% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Semarang 56% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$2.13 PKR 588

-34.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-20.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-43.67%

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

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

$2.09 PKR 579

-38.76%

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

$0.48 Rp 8,633

$0.40 PKR 111

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 Rp 3,641

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$0.92 PKR 254

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$0.56 PKR 156

58.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$1.25 PKR 345

-37.60%

Eggs

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$1.23 PKR 341

0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-29.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

$3.16 PKR 876

-22.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

19.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$1.26 PKR 348

64.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.53 PKR 148

139.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$1.00 PKR 276

84.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

$0.56 PKR 154

166.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$0.33 PKR 91.4

315.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

482.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$0.42 PKR 116

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,529

$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)

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$1.84 PKR 509

6.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,778

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

$9.99 PKR 2,764

42.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,539

$0.92 PKR 256

-48.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 Rp 4,808

$0.70 PKR 193

-61.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

$2.16 PKR 597

25.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.38 PKR 382

-40.58%

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

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

40.87%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

19.27%

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

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-24.28%

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

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-55.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

47.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-3.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-74.33%

Cinema Ticket

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-47.98%

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

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-1.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

6.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

$17.55 PKR 4,858

102.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

26.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-17.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

-5.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 Rp 4.1M

$118 PKR 32.7K

95.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 Rp 2.5M

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

86.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 Rp 9.0M

$357 PKR 98.9K

39.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 Rp 6.8M

$188 PKR 52.0K

101.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

14.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 Rp 14.9M

$481 PKR 133.1K

71.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 Rp 3.4M

$183 PKR 50.6K

4.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

13.21

-33.23%

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

Last update for Semarang: 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

Semarang

$186 31%

Karachi

$101 21% 45.5% $84

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$138 23%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 46.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 22.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$72 12.1%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 6.2% $4.5

Eating Out

Semarang

$53 8.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 14.6% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 19.5% $4.9

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 7.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $231 in Semarang and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Semarang pays 4% 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: $11.00 in Semarang vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

2 h behind Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Semarang Karachi 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Semarang
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

Semarang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Semarang and Karachi differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($599 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Semarang, 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: $231 in Semarang versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $599 per month in Semarang versus $482 in Karachi – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 42% less than in Semarang. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Semarang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.