Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $849 in Bintulu, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$849

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $849 in Bintulu versus $490 in Karachi.

Bintulu $849
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,312 in Bintulu versus $755 in Karachi.

Bintulu $1,312
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Bintulu versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Bintulu $1,775
Karachi $1,019

Living in Bintulu is roughly 73% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.95 MYR 16.13

$2.15 PKR 596

83.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.43 MYR 75.3

$13.37 PKR 3,700

37.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 MYR 23.63

$5.29 PKR 1,464

9.45%

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

$2.99 MYR 12.20

$2.11 PKR 583

41.71%

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

$0.63 MYR 2.59

$0.37 PKR 103

70.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.28 PKR 78.2

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MYR 12.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 MYR 21.12

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 MYR 8.77

$0.86 PKR 238

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$0.52 PKR 144

163.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.41

$1.24 PKR 344

6.45%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.83

$1.24 PKR 342

74.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 MYR 68.6

$5.86 PKR 1,622

186.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 MYR 14.19

$3.12 PKR 862

11.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.90 MYR 24.11

$6.25 PKR 1,731

-5.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.19

$1.29 PKR 356

36.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$0.54 PKR 150

88.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$0.99 PKR 273

77.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$0.56 PKR 155

101.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.33 PKR 91.6

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.35 PKR 95.9

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MYR 2.84

$0.45 PKR 124

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.44 PKR 121

-4.55%

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)

$4.18 MYR 17.08

$1.79 PKR 497

133.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.74 MYR 80.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$0.28 PKR 76.5

328.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.62 MYR 67.9

$9.68 PKR 2,679

71.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$0.92 PKR 255

10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 MYR 3.39

$0.71 PKR 196

16.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 MYR 10.21

$2.22 PKR 615

12.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 MYR 2.57

$1.35 PKR 372

-53.33%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.7K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

149.41%

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

$38.5K MYR 157.0K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

43.84%

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

$59.2 MYR 242

$112 PKR 30.9K

-47.03%

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

$31.51 MYR 129

$6.05 PKR 1,673

420.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.98 MYR 122

$13.29 PKR 3,679

125.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.4 MYR 271

$21.51 PKR 5,954

208.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.43 MYR 50.8

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-30.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$4.42 PKR 1,222

-2.04%

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

$124 MYR 508

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

145.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,230 MYR 29.5K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

269.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 MYR 262

$17.57 PKR 4,862

265.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.02 MYR 147

$22.78 PKR 6,304

58.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 MYR 329

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 MYR 371

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

121.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 MYR 898

$117 PKR 32.5K

87.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 MYR 642

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

107.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 MYR 1,979

$365 PKR 101.1K

32.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 MYR 1,361

$182 PKR 50.5K

82.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,730 MYR 7,062

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

64.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,137 MYR 4,644

$491 PKR 135.8K

131.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 MYR 2,441

$185 PKR 51.2K

223.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

13.21

-65.93%

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

Last update for Bintulu: 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

Bintulu

$232 27.4%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 56.6% $132

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$157 18.5%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 51.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 45.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$121 14.2%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 8.6% $10

Eating Out

Bintulu

$114 13.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 46.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$75 8.9%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 59.6% $45

Getting Around

Bintulu

$27 3.1%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 42.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Bintulu and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays 223% 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: $18.00 in Bintulu vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

3 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

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 = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 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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Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Karachi 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
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

Bintulu vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Bintulu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 223% higher in Bintulu, 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: $220 in Bintulu versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $849 per month in Bintulu versus $490 in Karachi – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 72% less than in Bintulu. 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, Bintulu 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 73% less than in Bintulu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.