Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $688 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Surabaya despite lower rent and utilities.

33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Surabaya versus $490 in Karachi.

Surabaya $688
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,191 in Surabaya versus $755 in Karachi.

Surabaya $1,191
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,695 in Surabaya versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Surabaya $1,695
Karachi $1,019

Living in Surabaya is roughly 40% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 49% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

$2.15 PKR 596

-21.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

$13.37 PKR 3,700

-14.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-42.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

$2.11 PKR 583

-25.59%

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

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

$0.37 PKR 103

64.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,026

$0.28 PKR 78.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$0.86 PKR 238

41.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.52 PKR 144

144.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

$1.24 PKR 344

-32.26%

Eggs

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

$1.24 PKR 342

-3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

$5.86 PKR 1,622

30.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

$3.12 PKR 862

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

$6.25 PKR 1,731

25.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

$1.29 PKR 356

62.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

$0.54 PKR 150

140.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

$0.99 PKR 273

83.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

$0.56 PKR 155

178.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$0.33 PKR 91.6

293.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

$0.35 PKR 95.9

445.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

$0.45 PKR 124

113.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,679

$0.44 PKR 121

-2.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

$1.79 PKR 497

8.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 Rp 5,669

$0.28 PKR 76.5

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,519

$0.92 PKR 255

-47.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,679

$0.71 PKR 196

-39.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

$2.22 PKR 615

17.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

$1.35 PKR 372

-38.52%

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

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

39.87%

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

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

22.50%

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

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

$112 PKR 30.9K

-22.93%

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

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

$6.05 PKR 1,673

-24.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

$13.29 PKR 3,679

44.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

$21.51 PKR 5,954

-16.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-61.69%

Cinema Ticket

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

$4.42 PKR 1,222

-38.46%

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

$280 Rp 5.0M

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

451.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

388.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

$17.57 PKR 4,862

298.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

$22.78 PKR 6,304

72.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

20.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

79.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 Rp 5.0M

$117 PKR 32.5K

137.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.6M

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

93.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

$365 PKR 101.1K

241.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 Rp 11.1M

$182 PKR 50.5K

239.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

104.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

$491 PKR 135.8K

113.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$273 Rp 4.9M

$185 PKR 51.2K

47.74%

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 Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 30.9%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 51.8% $108

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$147 21.7%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 48.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.6%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 43.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$110 16.3%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 19.2% $21

Eating Out

Surabaya

$65 9.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 5.5% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.5%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 29.6% $6.9

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 292% $11

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 $279 in Surabaya and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 48% 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: $11.00 in Surabaya vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $209 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

2 h behind Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surabaya Karachi 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
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

Surabaya vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya and Karachi differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($688 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Surabaya, 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: $279 in Surabaya versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Surabaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $688 per month in Surabaya versus $490 in Karachi – a 40% 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 40% less than in Surabaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.