Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayan Lepas and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $737 in Bayan Lepas, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$737

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Bayan Lepas versus $490 in Karachi.

Bayan Lepas $737
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,228 in Bayan Lepas versus $755 in Karachi.

Bayan Lepas $1,228
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Bayan Lepas $1,718
Karachi $1,019

Living in Bayan Lepas is roughly 50% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bayan Lepas 45% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.71

$2.15 PKR 596

44.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.08 MYR 69.8

$13.37 PKR 3,700

27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.07 MYR 16.63

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-23.06%

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

$2.82 MYR 11.54

$2.11 PKR 583

33.65%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.47

$0.37 PKR 103

129.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$0.28 PKR 78.2

110.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 MYR 19.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MYR 19.56

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 MYR 10.21

$0.86 PKR 238

190.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 MYR 3.87

$0.52 PKR 144

82.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 MYR 3.68

$1.24 PKR 344

-27.42%

Eggs

$2.03 MYR 8.29

$1.24 PKR 342

63.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 MYR 13.96

$3.12 PKR 862

9.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 MYR 27.60

$6.25 PKR 1,730

8.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.58

$1.29 PKR 356

138.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.52

$0.54 PKR 150

196.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 MYR 12.88

$0.99 PKR 273

218.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.88

$0.56 PKR 155

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$0.33 PKR 91.6

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$0.35 PKR 95.8

245.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.45 PKR 124

57.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.44 PKR 121

52.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 MYR 20.75

$1.79 PKR 497

183.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.89 MYR 81.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.28 PKR 76.5

139.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.74 MYR 60.3

$9.68 PKR 2,679

52.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$0.92 PKR 255

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.04

$1.35 PKR 372

-45.19%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

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

$24.26 MYR 99.2

$112 PKR 30.9K

-78.30%

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

$11.88 MYR 48.55

$6.05 PKR 1,673

96.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.77 MYR 126

$13.29 PKR 3,679

131.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 MYR 121

$21.51 PKR 5,954

37.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.26 MYR 29.68

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-59.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.89

$4.42 PKR 1,222

10.18%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.73 MYR 162

$17.57 PKR 4,862

126.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.50 MYR 108

$22.78 PKR 6,304

16.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 MYR 267

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

-3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 MYR 337

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

100.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 MYR 792

$117 PKR 32.4K

65.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MYR 908

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

193.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 MYR 2,038

$365 PKR 101.1K

36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,350

$182 PKR 50.5K

215.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$970 MYR 3,965

$185 PKR 51.2K

424.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

13.21

-73.50%

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

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bayan Lepas

$222 30.1%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 65.9% $146

Groceries & Markets

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 45.2% $83

Eating Out

Bayan Lepas

$110 14.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 44.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Bayan Lepas

$96 13%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 30.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.1%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 96% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 22.7% $8.9

Getting Around

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 19.9% $3.8

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 $194 in Bayan Lepas and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 425% 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: $17.00 in Bayan Lepas vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

3 h behind Bayan Lepas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,600

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 = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bayan Lepas Karachi 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bayan Lepas
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

Bayan Lepas vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bayan Lepas and Karachi differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($737 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 425% higher in Bayan Lepas, 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: $194 in Bayan Lepas versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $17.00 in Bayan Lepas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 52% less than in Bayan Lepas. 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, Bayan Lepas 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 50% less than in Bayan Lepas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.