Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Bayan Lepas

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.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
Learn more

Bayan Lepas Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Bayan Lepas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Karachi and in Bayan Lepas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Karachi $490
Bayan Lepas $737

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

Karachi $755
Bayan Lepas $1,228

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

Karachi $1,019
Bayan Lepas $1,718

Living in Karachi costs roughly 34% less than in Bayan Lepas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$3.11 MYR 12.69

-30.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$17.08 MYR 69.7

-21.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.07 MYR 16.61

29.98%

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

$2.11 PKR 583

$2.82 MYR 11.53

-25.18%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-56.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.59 MYR 2.42

-52.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 MYR 19.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MYR 19.53

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$2.50 MYR 10.20

-65.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$0.95 MYR 3.86

-45.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.90 MYR 3.67

37.78%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.03 MYR 8.28

-38.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$3.41 MYR 13.94

-8.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$6.75 MYR 27.57

-7.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$3.08 MYR 12.57

-58.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.60 MYR 6.52

-66.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$3.15 MYR 12.86

-68.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.32 MYR 5.38

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.21 MYR 4.93

-71.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-36.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.67 MYR 2.74

-34.33%

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)

$1.79 PKR 497

$5.08 MYR 20.73

-64.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.89 MYR 81.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.67 MYR 2.74

-58.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$14.74 MYR 60.2

-34.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.61 MYR 6.57

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$0.74 MYR 3.03

82.43%

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)

$112 PKR 30.9K

$24.26 MYR 99.1

360.84%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$11.88 MYR 48.49

-49.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$30.77 MYR 126

-56.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$29.52 MYR 121

-27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$7.26 MYR 29.64

145.18%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$4.87 MYR 19.87

-9.24%

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)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$39.73 MYR 162

-55.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$26.50 MYR 108

-14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$65.2 MYR 266

3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$82.3 MYR 336

-50.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$194 MYR 791

-39.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$222 MYR 907

-65.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$499 MYR 2,036

-26.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$575 MYR 2,347

-68.28%

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)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$970 MYR 3,960

-80.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.5

277.43%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.1% 49% $64

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25% 82.6% $83

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Bayan Lepas

$222 30.1% 193% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Bayan Lepas

$96 13% 43.6% $29

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Bayan Lepas

$110 14.9% 80.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3% 29.3% $8.9

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6% 24.9% $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 $117 in Karachi and $194 in Bayan Lepas. 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: $13.00 in Karachi vs $17.00 in Bayan Lepas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $184 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

217,600

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

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).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Karachi
Bayan Lepas

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

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

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

On paper, salaries run 425% lower in Bayan Lepas. 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: $117 in Karachi versus $194 in Bayan Lepas. 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, Karachi and Bayan Lepas 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.