Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibolga and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $622 in Sibolga, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
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Sibolga Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$622

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $622 in Sibolga versus $483 in Karachi.

Sibolga $622
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $990 in Sibolga versus $754 in Karachi.

Sibolga $990
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,358 in Sibolga versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Sibolga $1,358
Karachi $1,025

Living in Sibolga is roughly 29% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sibolga 54% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$2.11 PKR 585

-22.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 Rp 246.7K

$13.73 PKR 3,801

-0.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 Rp 57.9K

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-41.77%

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

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

$2.14 PKR 593

-30.84%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$0.40 PKR 111

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,506

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 Rp 61.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$0.90 PKR 250

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$0.55 PKR 153

94.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$1.20 PKR 333

-27.50%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$1.25 PKR 346

17.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 Rp 128.0K

$5.96 PKR 1,650

19.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

$3.19 PKR 883

-6.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 Rp 139.7K

$6.48 PKR 1,793

19.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 40.6K

$1.24 PKR 344

82.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.53 PKR 147

139.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

$1.03 PKR 284

63.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

$0.51 PKR 142

141.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

$0.31 PKR 85.1

316.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.1K

$0.31 PKR 87.1

512.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

$0.41 PKR 113

92.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,745

$0.44 PKR 120

-2.27%

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)

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

$1.83 PKR 508

50.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,222

$0.28 PKR 76.8

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 Rp 9,423

$0.87 PKR 240

-40.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,798

$0.74 PKR 204

-48.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 Rp 46.8K

$2.23 PKR 617

16.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.38 PKR 383

-41.30%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.4M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

29.09%

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

$30.5K Rp 548.3M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

15.20%

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

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-42.04%

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

$4.24 Rp 76.3K

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-30.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.44 Rp 349.9K

$13.11 PKR 3,628

48.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.82 Rp 356.7K

$21.78 PKR 6,029

-9.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.4K

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-53.97%

Cinema Ticket

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

$4.26 PKR 1,179

-36.15%

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

$93.2 Rp 1.7M

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

78.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,764 Rp 139.7M

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

299.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.07 Rp 775.2K

$17.53 PKR 4,852

145.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.87 Rp 519.7K

$22.88 PKR 6,332

26.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 Rp 1.4M

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

10.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.3 Rp 1.3M

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

69.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 Rp 4.2M

$118 PKR 32.5K

96.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 Rp 2.7M

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

103.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 Rp 9.7M

$360 PKR 99.6K

50.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 Rp 6.6M

$188 PKR 52.1K

94.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,188 Rp 21.4M

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

9.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 Rp 14.1M

$474 PKR 131.2K

65.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

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 Sibolga: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sibolga

$196 31.5%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 47.9% $94

Accommodation & Living

Sibolga

$149 24%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 50.9% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sibolga

$98 15.7%

Karachi

$68 14% 31.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibolga

$89 14.4%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 48.3% $43

Eating Out

Sibolga

$61 9.8%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 1.4% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sibolga

$25 4.1%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 20% $5.1

Getting Around

Sibolga

$3.6 * 0.6%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 334% $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 $231 in Sibolga and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Sibolga vs $14.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $102, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

2 h behind Sibolga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,471

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 20, 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 20, 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

Sibolga Karachi 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibolga
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

Sibolga vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibolga and Karachi differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($622 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $933 in Sibolga and $725 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $231 in Sibolga versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Sibolga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $622 per month in Sibolga versus $483 in Karachi – a 29% 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 29% less than in Sibolga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.