Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Paz, Mexico and Bayan Lepas

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $735 a month against $1,266 in La Paz, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
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La Paz Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index

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La Paz

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,266

/mo nomad

Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in La Paz versus $735 in Bayan Lepas.

La Paz $1,266
Bayan Lepas $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,091 in La Paz versus $1,214 in Bayan Lepas.

La Paz $2,091
Bayan Lepas $1,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,916 in La Paz versus $1,694 in Bayan Lepas.

La Paz $2,916
Bayan Lepas $1,694

Living in La Paz is roughly 72% more expensive than in Bayan Lepas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Paz 7% lower, Bayan Lepas 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 MX$183

$2.97 MYR 12.11

229.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 MX$1,008

$16.85 MYR 68.7

220.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 MX$147

$4.09 MYR 16.65

92.42%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MX$55.5

$2.81 MYR 11.45

6.05%

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

$1.76 MX$32.82

$0.84 MYR 3.44

109.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.43

$0.55 MYR 2.23

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$40.12

$4.78 MYR 19.46

-55.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$104

$4.94 MYR 20.14

13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 MX$40.02

$2.56 MYR 10.44

-16.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 MX$48.69

$0.97 MYR 3.94

169.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.43

$0.89 MYR 3.63

143.82%

Eggs

$2.33 MX$43.47

$2.05 MYR 8.35

13.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 MX$215

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MX$155

$3.47 MYR 14.15

140.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 MX$200

$6.91 MYR 28.16

55.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 MX$65.3

$3.11 MYR 12.66

12.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 MX$23.27

$1.59 MYR 6.47

-21.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$3.08 MYR 12.56

-40.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.04

$1.18 MYR 4.79

55.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.35

$1.30 MYR 5.31

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.67

$1.20 MYR 4.90

72.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.45

$0.77 MYR 3.12

90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$25.10

$0.67 MYR 2.74

101.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$80.1

$5.09 MYR 20.72

-15.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.87 MX$314

$19.20 MYR 78.2

-12.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MX$51.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.52

$0.64 MYR 2.59

4.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 MX$613

$14.76 MYR 60.1

122.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 MX$46.56

$1.56 MYR 6.35

60.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 MX$38.45

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$186

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.81

$0.77 MYR 3.12

87.01%

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

$20.8K MX$387.1K

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

$23.6K MX$440.8K

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

$61.3 MX$1,143

$24.53 MYR 99.9

150.02%

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

$25.45 MX$474

$11.64 MYR 47.44

118.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.70 MX$609

$31.20 MYR 127

4.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.53 MX$606

$29.63 MYR 121

9.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 MX$326

$7.39 MYR 30.10

136.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$93.6

$4.83 MYR 19.66

3.93%

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

$214 MX$3,995

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,487 MX$83.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 MX$1,044

$39.33 MYR 160

42.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 MX$746

$26.27 MYR 107

52.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MX$1,373

$64.0 MYR 261

15.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 MX$1,675

$80.7 MYR 329

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 MX$14.9K

$197 MYR 804

304.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MX$8,851

$221 MYR 902

114.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$496 MYR 2,022

238.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 MX$19.3K

$568 MYR 2,316

81.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,918 MX$35.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 MX$20.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$746 MX$13.9K

$965 MYR 3,931

-22.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

3.5

231.43%

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

Last update for La Paz: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Paz

$475 37.5%

Bayan Lepas

$221 30.1% 53.4% $253

Groceries & Markets

La Paz

$293 23.2%

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25.1% 37.1% $109

Eating Out

La Paz

$171 13.5%

Bayan Lepas

$109 14.8% 36.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Paz

$119 9.4%

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.2% 43.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

La Paz

$117 9.2%

Bayan Lepas

$95 12.9% 19% $22

Getting Around

La Paz

$48 3.8%

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6% 61% $30

Sport & Entertainment

La Paz

$43 3.4%

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3% 7.7% $3.3

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 $799 in La Paz and $197 in Bayan Lepas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54 in La Paz vs $17 in Bayan Lepas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $184 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 La Paz

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

21:59 9:59 PM

15 h ahead of La Paz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,141

217,600

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Paz Bayan Lepas 15,360 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

La Paz
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

La Paz vs Bayan Lepas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Paz and Bayan Lepas differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $735 including rent). Bayan Lepas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in La Paz. 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: $799 in La Paz versus $197 in Bayan Lepas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17 versus $54 in La Paz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 55% less than in La Paz. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,266 in La Paz, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in La Paz. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, La Paz 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 Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in La Paz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.