Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sentul and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $878 in Sentul, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$878

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $878 in Sentul versus $482 in Karachi.

Sentul $878
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,334 in Sentul versus $750 in Karachi.

Sentul $1,334
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,790 in Sentul versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Sentul $1,790
Karachi $1,018

Living in Sentul is roughly 82% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sentul 35% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.84

$2.13 PKR 588

70.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 MYR 90.1

$13.30 PKR 3,680

66.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.53

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-7.71%

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 12.21

$2.09 PKR 579

43.06%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.40 PKR 111

107.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$0.26 PKR 71.1

96.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 MYR 23.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$0.92 PKR 254

84.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$0.56 PKR 156

83.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.80

$1.25 PKR 345

13.60%

Eggs

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$1.23 PKR 341

41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.39

$5.67 PKR 1,570

70.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.94

$3.16 PKR 876

0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 MYR 38.56

$6.28 PKR 1,737

50.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 MYR 13.26

$1.26 PKR 348

157.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.87

$0.53 PKR 148

216.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$1.00 PKR 276

165.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$0.56 PKR 154

185.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.97

$0.33 PKR 91.4

342.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.70

$0.34 PKR 95.1

382.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$0.42 PKR 116

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$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)

$4.16 MYR 16.99

$1.84 PKR 509

126.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 MYR 56.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MYR 3.31

$0.28 PKR 77.0

189.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 49.19

$9.99 PKR 2,764

20.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.91

$0.92 PKR 256

4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$0.70 PKR 193

-45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 MYR 36.60

$2.16 PKR 597

315.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.38 PKR 382

-36.96%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.2K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

130.29%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

20.13%

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

$49.70 MYR 203

$113 PKR 31.4K

-56.19%

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

$8.10 MYR 33.04

$5.95 PKR 1,648

36.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 MYR 112

$13.16 PKR 3,642

108.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$21.55 PKR 5,965

90.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 MYR 30.40

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-59.13%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$4.21 PKR 1,165

19.71%

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

$161 MYR 658

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

209.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,446 MYR 18.1K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

129.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$17.55 PKR 4,858

187.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.38 MYR 66.8

$23.51 PKR 6,506

-30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 MYR 349

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

110.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 MYR 1,419

$118 PKR 32.7K

194.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

283.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,883

$357 PKR 98.9K

97.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 MYR 1,976

$188 PKR 52.0K

157.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,147 MYR 8,759

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

102.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,058 MYR 4,315

$481 PKR 133.1K

120.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$890 MYR 3,631

$183 PKR 50.6K

386.64%

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 Sentul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sentul

$282 32.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 73.9% $208

Groceries & Markets

Sentul

$224 25.6%

Karachi

$101 21% 54.9% $123

Eating Out

Sentul

$114 12.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 46.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Sentul

$103 11.8%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 34.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sentul

$85 9.7%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 55.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sentul

$51 5.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 41.4% $21

Getting Around

Sentul

$18 2.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 14.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $348 in Sentul and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sentul pays 387% 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: $22.00 in Sentul vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sentul

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

3 h behind Sentul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sentul Karachi 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sentul
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

Sentul vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sentul and Karachi differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($878 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 387% higher in Sentul, 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: $348 in Sentul versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $878 per month in Sentul versus $482 in Karachi – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 21% less than in Sentul. 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, Sentul 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 82% less than in Sentul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.