Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beihai and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $744 in Beihai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Beihai
🇨🇳 China
$744
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Beihai vs $482 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Beihai $744
  • Karachi $482

A couple spends around $1,167 per month in Beihai vs $750 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Beihai $1,167
  • Karachi $750

A family of three spends $1,590 per month in Beihai vs $1,018 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Beihai $1,590
  • Karachi $1,018

Beihai costs about 54% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beihai and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Beihai 45% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.40 ¥22.75
$2.13 PKR 588
59.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.56 ¥131
$13.30 PKR 3,679
47.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.58 ¥37.31
$5.45 PKR 1,507
2.39%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.19 PKR 607
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.24 PKR 2,004
-
Cappuccino
$2.43 ¥16.28
$2.09 PKR 579
16.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ¥3.09
$0.40 PKR 111
15.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ¥1.99
$0.26 PKR 71.1
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 ¥8.14
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 ¥15.34
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 ¥12.69
$0.92 PKR 254
106.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 ¥11.36
$0.56 PKR 156
203.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 ¥7.33
$1.25 PKR 345
-12.00%
Eggs
$1.87 ¥12.53
$1.23 PKR 341
52.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.95 ¥93.3
$5.67 PKR 1,570
146.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.92 ¥19.54
$3.16 PKR 875
-7.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.58 ¥70.8
$6.28 PKR 1,737
68.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 ¥14.03
$1.26 PKR 348
66.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 ¥9.91
$0.53 PKR 147
179.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.19
$1.00 PKR 276
52.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ¥8.48
$0.56 PKR 154
126.79%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 ¥4.92
$0.33 PKR 91.4
124.24%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.46
$0.34 PKR 95.1
185.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ¥4.47
$0.42 PKR 116
59.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 ¥3.33
$0.44 PKR 121
13.64%
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)
$3.39 ¥22.70
$1.84 PKR 509
84.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.05 ¥80.6
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥4.95
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ¥11.10
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 ¥2.02
$0.28 PKR 77.0
7.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.17 ¥115
$9.99 PKR 2,764
71.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.56 ¥10.42
$0.92 PKR 256
69.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.70 PKR 193
-55.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.21 ¥41.53
$2.16 PKR 597
187.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ¥9.31
$1.38 PKR 382
0.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.2K ¥121.6K
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
1.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.2K ¥121.9K
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
-32.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.5 ¥411
$113 PKR 31.4K
-45.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.42 ¥63.0
$5.95 PKR 1,647
58.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.09 ¥80.9
$13.16 PKR 3,641
-8.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.99 ¥274
$21.55 PKR 5,963
90.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.01 ¥93.7
$18.23 PKR 5,043
-23.15%
Cinema Ticket
$5.71 ¥38.20
$4.21 PKR 1,165
35.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$458 ¥3,065
$52.2 PKR 14.4K
778.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K ¥122.6K
$1,940 PKR 536.9K
844.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.58 ¥325
$17.55 PKR 4,857
176.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.03 ¥254
$23.51 PKR 6,504
61.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ¥534
$68.9 PKR 19.1K
16.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$40.59 PKR 11.2K
94.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥1,863
$118 PKR 32.6K
136.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$178 ¥1,190
$73.6 PKR 20.4K
141.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$718 ¥4,804
$357 PKR 98.9K
100.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ¥2,221
$188 PKR 52.0K
76.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,665 ¥24.5K
$1,060 PKR 293.3K
245.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,221 ¥14.9K
$481 PKR 133.0K
361.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Beihai
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$183 PKR 50.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
13.21
-74.56%

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

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Beihai
$212
Karachi
$101 52.2% $111
Accommodation & Living
Beihai
$178
Karachi
$74 58.6% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Beihai
$110
Karachi
$68 38.7% $43
Eating Out
Beihai
$87
Karachi
$61 29.7% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Beihai
$83
Karachi
$133 59.6% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Beihai
$52
Karachi
$30 42.8% $22
Getting Around
Beihai
$22
Karachi
$16 27.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Beihai versus $118 in Karachi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Beihai
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
13:01 1:01 PM
10:01 10:01 AM
3 h behind Beihai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,617,500
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Beihai Karachi 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Beihai
  • 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
Beihai vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Beihai or Karachi?
Beihai costs about 54% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Beihai and in Karachi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Beihai and $723 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Beihai or Karachi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karachi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Beihai or in Karachi?
Groceries cost about 109% more in Beihai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Beihai and in Karachi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Beihai or in Karachi?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $744 in Beihai and $482 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Karachi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Beihai or to Karachi?
If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beihai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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