Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidoarjo and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $615 in Sidoarjo, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Sidoarjo
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$615
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$483
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $615 in Sidoarjo versus $483 in Karachi.

  • Sidoarjo $615
  • Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $956 in Sidoarjo versus $754 in Karachi.

  • Sidoarjo $956
  • Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,297 in Sidoarjo versus $1,025 in Karachi.

  • Sidoarjo $1,297
  • Karachi $1,025

Living in Sidoarjo is roughly 27% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sidoarjo 55% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.69 Rp 30.3K
$2.11 PKR 585
-19.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.97 Rp 197.5K
$13.73 PKR 3,801
-20.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.15 Rp 56.7K
$5.53 PKR 1,531
-43.04%
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
$0.54 Rp 9,639
$2.14 PKR 593
-74.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 Rp 7,767
$0.40 PKR 111
7.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 Rp 5,052
$0.28 PKR 77.7
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 Rp 73.4K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 Rp 22.7K
$0.90 PKR 250
40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.97 Rp 17.5K
$0.55 PKR 153
76.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.88 Rp 15.8K
$1.20 PKR 333
-26.67%
Eggs
$1.20 Rp 21.6K
$1.25 PKR 346
-4.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.53 Rp 135.5K
$5.96 PKR 1,650
26.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.4K
$3.19 PKR 883
-42.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.52 Rp 99.4K
$6.48 PKR 1,793
-14.81%
Apples (1kg)
$0.91 Rp 16.4K
$1.24 PKR 344
-26.61%
Banana (1kg)
$0.54 Rp 9,807
$0.53 PKR 147
1.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.70 Rp 12.6K
$1.03 PKR 284
-32.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.58 Rp 10.4K
$0.51 PKR 142
13.73%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 Rp 13.6K
$0.31 PKR 85.1
145.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 Rp 18.3K
$0.31 PKR 87.1
225.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.27 Rp 4,799
$0.41 PKR 113
-34.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,159
$0.44 PKR 120
-9.09%
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)
$1.98 Rp 35.6K
$1.83 PKR 508
8.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$25.24 Rp 454.3K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 Rp 30.1K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 Rp 51.9K
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 Rp 5,226
$0.28 PKR 76.8
3.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.81 PKR 2,716
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.41 Rp 7,334
$0.87 PKR 240
-52.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 Rp 6,759
$0.74 PKR 204
-48.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 Rp 19.8K
$2.23 PKR 617
-50.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.80 Rp 14.4K
$1.38 PKR 383
-42.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.1K Rp 451.7M
$18.4K PKR 5.1M
36.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K Rp 579.8M
$26.4K PKR 7.3M
21.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.1 Rp 1.5M
$113 PKR 31.4K
-24.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.66 Rp 84.0K
$6.12 PKR 1,694
-23.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.34 Rp 204.1K
$13.11 PKR 3,628
-13.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.28 Rp 347.0K
$21.78 PKR 6,029
-11.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.15 Rp 146.7K
$18.27 PKR 5,058
-55.39%
Cinema Ticket
$2.66 Rp 47.9K
$4.26 PKR 1,179
-37.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$95.3 Rp 1.7M
$52.1 PKR 14.4K
82.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,510 Rp 171.2M
$1,941 PKR 537.3K
389.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.3 Rp 1.3M
$17.53 PKR 4,852
306.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.51 Rp 711.2K
$22.88 PKR 6,332
72.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.6 Rp 1.4M
$68.1 PKR 18.8K
16.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.3 Rp 1.3M
$41.55 PKR 11.5K
78.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$225 Rp 4.1M
$118 PKR 32.5K
91.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$147 Rp 2.7M
$73.2 PKR 20.3K
101.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$549 Rp 9.9M
$360 PKR 99.6K
52.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 Rp 6.5M
$188 PKR 52.1K
91.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,149 Rp 20.7M
$1,082 PKR 299.4K
6.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$800 Rp 14.4M
$474 PKR 131.2K
68.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sidoarjo
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$182 PKR 50.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
13.21
-43.22%

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

Last update for Sidoarjo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sidoarjo
$167
Karachi
$102 39% $65
Accommodation & Living
Sidoarjo
$147
Karachi
$73 50.3% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Sidoarjo
$119
Karachi
$68 43.3% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sidoarjo
$101
Karachi
$133 31.1% $31
Eating Out
Sidoarjo
$52
Karachi
$62 19.7% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Sidoarjo
$25
Karachi
$30 23.2% $5.7
Getting Around
Sidoarjo
$3.5 *
Karachi
$15 349% $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 $225 in Sidoarjo and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11.00 in Sidoarjo vs $14.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $167 vs $102, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Sidoarjo
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
23:06 11:06 PM
21:06 9:06 PM
2 h behind Sidoarjo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
201,115
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sidoarjo Karachi 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sidoarjo
  • 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
Sidoarjo vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sidoarjo and in Karachi?
Sidoarjo and Karachi differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($615 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Sidoarjo compared to Karachi?
You'd need roughly $922 in Sidoarjo 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Sidoarjo and in Karachi?
Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Sidoarjo versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Sidoarjo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Sidoarjo or Karachi?
All in, you'll spend $615 per month in Sidoarjo versus $483 in Karachi – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How far does $1,200 go in Sidoarjo compared to Karachi?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Sidoarjo and Karachi?
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.
Where should expats move: Sidoarjo or Karachi?
Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Sidoarjo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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