Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skudai and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $900 in Skudai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $900 in Skudai versus $495 in Karachi.

Skudai $900
Karachi $495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,370 in Skudai versus $770 in Karachi.

Skudai $1,370
Karachi $770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,840 in Skudai versus $1,046 in Karachi.

Skudai $1,840
Karachi $1,046

Living in Skudai 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: Skudai 34% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.84

$2.21 PKR 610

64.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.25 MYR 74.6

$12.87 PKR 3,562

41.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 20.05

$5.27 PKR 1,459

-7.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.73

$2.16 PKR 598

32.87%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.38 PKR 106

118.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.25 PKR 69.3

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.62

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 MYR 22.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$0.90 PKR 248

93.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$0.52 PKR 143

96.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.06

$1.20 PKR 331

23.33%

Eggs

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$1.25 PKR 346

32.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 MYR 39.43

$5.82 PKR 1,611

65.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 13.09

$3.11 PKR 861

2.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 MYR 39.28

$6.53 PKR 1,807

47.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 MYR 13.98

$1.28 PKR 354

167.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$0.54 PKR 149

214.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.68

$1.02 PKR 283

155.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.69

$0.56 PKR 155

192.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$0.34 PKR 94.9

314.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.08

$0.31 PKR 87.0

458.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$0.41 PKR 113

234.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.43 PKR 120

18.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 679

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.49

$1.78 PKR 492

140.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 MYR 56.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 MYR 11.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.22

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.28 PKR 77.2

196.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.95 MYR 44.78

$11.70 PKR 3,238

-6.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 MYR 4.13

$0.92 PKR 254

9.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.73 PKR 203

-50.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 MYR 36.92

$2.22 PKR 615

306.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.51

$1.33 PKR 369

-35.34%

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

$44.3K MYR 181.0K

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

142.47%

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

$36.0K MYR 147.2K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

36.49%

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

$48.79 MYR 199

$112 PKR 31.0K

-56.50%

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

$8.16 MYR 33.38

$5.99 PKR 1,657

36.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.88 MYR 110

$13.18 PKR 3,648

103.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.95 MYR 151

$24.67 PKR 6,826

49.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.55 MYR 30.86

$18.29 PKR 5,062

-58.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MYR 20.17

$4.34 PKR 1,202

13.59%

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

$235 MYR 962

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

250.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,393 MYR 18.0K

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

129.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$17.61 PKR 4,874

186.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 MYR 68.0

$22.03 PKR 6,097

-24.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 316

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 MYR 349

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

110.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 MYR 1,461

$136 PKR 37.6K

162.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 MYR 1,270

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

278.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 MYR 2,659

$392 PKR 108.5K

65.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 MYR 2,310

$207 PKR 57.2K

173.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,956 MYR 7,997

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

86.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,161 MYR 4,746

$482 PKR 133.2K

141.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

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 Skudai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skudai

$311 34.5%

Karachi

$82 16.6% 73.6% $229

Groceries & Markets

Skudai

$226 25.2%

Karachi

$102 20.5% 55.2% $125

Eating Out

Skudai

$111 12.4%

Karachi

$62 12.5% 44.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Skudai

$103 11.5%

Karachi

$67 13.5% 35.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skudai

$84 9.3%

Karachi

$131 26.6% 56.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Skudai

$47 5.2%

Karachi

$33 6.7% 28.8% $13

Getting Around

Skudai

$17 1.9%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 1.9% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $357 in Skudai and $136 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18 in Skudai vs $13 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Skudai

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

22:04 10:04 PM

3 h behind Skudai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,733

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.23 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Skudai Karachi 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Skudai
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

Skudai vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skudai and Karachi differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($900 vs $495 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,349 in Skudai and $742 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: $357 in Skudai versus $136 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $900 per month in Skudai versus $495 in Karachi – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skudai runs roughly 6% less than in Karachi. 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.