Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $866 in Sibu, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Sibu versus $483 in Karachi.

Sibu $866
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,293 in Sibu versus $754 in Karachi.

Sibu $1,293
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,720 in Sibu versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Sibu $1,720
Karachi $1,025

Living in Sibu is roughly 79% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sibu 36% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 MYR 8.82

$2.11 PKR 585

2.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$13.73 PKR 3,801

41.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.18

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-23.87%

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

$2.38 MYR 9.70

$2.14 PKR 593

11.21%

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

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.40 PKR 111

67.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MYR 11.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.96

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MYR 7.33

$0.90 PKR 250

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 MYR 3.65

$0.55 PKR 153

61.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$1.20 PKR 333

39.17%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.16

$1.25 PKR 346

79.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 MYR 47.53

$5.96 PKR 1,650

95.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 MYR 15.66

$3.19 PKR 883

20.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.55

$6.48 PKR 1,793

49.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 MYR 15.16

$1.24 PKR 344

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.26

$0.53 PKR 147

188.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$1.03 PKR 284

127.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.62

$0.51 PKR 142

170.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$0.31 PKR 85.1

261.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$0.31 PKR 87.1

319.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.76

$0.41 PKR 113

185.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$0.44 PKR 120

22.73%

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)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$1.83 PKR 508

147.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MYR 74.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.28 PKR 76.8

196.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.85 MYR 56.5

$9.81 PKR 2,716

41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 MYR 5.70

$0.87 PKR 240

60.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.74 PKR 204

-27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 MYR 32.68

$2.23 PKR 617

259.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.38 PKR 383

-42.03%

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

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

167.58%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

34.80%

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

$49.59 MYR 202

$113 PKR 31.4K

-56.22%

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

$7.14 MYR 29.14

$6.12 PKR 1,694

16.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.47 MYR 108

$13.11 PKR 3,628

101.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.94 MYR 110

$21.78 PKR 6,029

23.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.44 MYR 26.26

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-64.75%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 MYR 15.24

$4.26 PKR 1,179

-12.21%

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

$181 MYR 739

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

247.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

255.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 226

$17.53 PKR 4,852

216.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 MYR 124

$22.88 PKR 6,332

33.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 MYR 364

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

30.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 MYR 307

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

81.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 MYR 1,386

$118 PKR 32.5K

189.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

285.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 MYR 2,437

$360 PKR 99.6K

66.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 MYR 1,841

$188 PKR 52.1K

139.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,782 MYR 7,272

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

64.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$966 MYR 3,941

$474 PKR 131.2K

103.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 MYR 2,021

$182 PKR 50.4K

172.13%

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 Sibu: 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

Sibu

$282 32.6%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 74% $209

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$247 28.5%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 58.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$113 13%

Karachi

$68 14% 40.1% $45

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.9%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 27.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$83 9.6%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 59.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$34 4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 11.9% $4.1

Getting Around

Sibu

$21 2.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 27.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Sibu and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sibu pays 172% 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: $19.00 in Sibu vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $247 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

3 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

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

Sibu Karachi 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

Sibu vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibu and Karachi differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($866 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 172% higher in Sibu, 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: $340 in Sibu versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $866 per month in Sibu versus $483 in Karachi – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 41% less than in Sibu. 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, Sibu 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 79% less than in Sibu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.