Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $509 in Surakarta, rent and utilities included – about $320 less a year. The total is higher in Surakarta despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$509

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Surakarta versus $482 in Karachi.

Surakarta $509
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $817 in Surakarta versus $750 in Karachi.

Surakarta $817
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,124 in Surakarta versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Surakarta $1,124
Karachi $1,018

Living in Surakarta is roughly 6% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surakarta 62% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

$2.13 PKR 588

-23.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.59 Rp 208.7K

$13.30 PKR 3,680

-12.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.20 Rp 57.6K

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-41.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 27.9K

$2.09 PKR 579

-25.84%

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

$0.54 Rp 9,772

$0.40 PKR 111

35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$0.92 PKR 254

-5.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$0.56 PKR 156

30.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.25 PKR 345

-38.40%

Eggs

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

$1.23 PKR 341

-21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 Rp 137.2K

$5.67 PKR 1,570

34.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

$3.16 PKR 876

-45.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 Rp 97.3K

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-14.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.3K

$1.26 PKR 348

59.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.53 PKR 148

139.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

$1.00 PKR 276

81.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$0.56 PKR 154

144.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$0.33 PKR 91.4

315.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$0.34 PKR 95.1

397.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

$0.42 PKR 116

38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,732

$0.44 PKR 121

-2.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.25 PKR 346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 PKR 365

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

$1.84 PKR 509

7.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 Rp 151.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 Rp 52.3K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,244

$0.28 PKR 77.0

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.88 Rp 393.8K

$9.99 PKR 2,764

119.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,071

$0.92 PKR 256

-45.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,709

$0.70 PKR 193

-38.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.3K

$2.16 PKR 597

24.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.38 PKR 382

-44.93%

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

$24.5K Rp 440.7M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

36.77%

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

$32.3K Rp 582.1M

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

19.40%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$113 PKR 31.4K

-31.66%

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

$2.10 Rp 37.8K

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-64.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.23 Rp 328.2K

$13.16 PKR 3,642

38.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 Rp 283.3K

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-53.87%

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-54.16%

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

$33.42 Rp 601.5K

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

-35.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,845 Rp 33.2M

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

-4.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 Rp 1.1M

$17.55 PKR 4,858

236.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 Rp 642.0K

$23.51 PKR 6,506

51.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 Rp 1.3M

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

58.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 Rp 3.0M

$118 PKR 32.7K

42.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

-23.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$357 PKR 98.9K

-5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 Rp 3.5M

$188 PKR 52.0K

2.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$158 Rp 2.8M

$183 PKR 50.6K

-13.67%

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 Surakarta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$148 29.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 31.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 20.3%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 34.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 19.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 35.5% $35

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 11.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 7.2% $4.1

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$57 11.1%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 30.1% $17

Getting Around

Surakarta

$26 5.1%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 40.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.9%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 52.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $168 in Surakarta and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karachi pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12.00 in Surakarta vs $13.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $101, with Karachi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

2 h behind Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surakarta Karachi 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surakarta
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

Surakarta vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surakarta and Karachi differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($509 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Karachi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $168 in Surakarta versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $509 per month in Surakarta versus $482 in Karachi – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 119% less than in Surakarta. 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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Surakarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.