Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,178 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $490 in Karachi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,178
Karachi $490

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $755 in Karachi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,895
Karachi $755

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,019 in Karachi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,612
Karachi $1,019

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 141% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.39

$2.15 PKR 596

111.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.25 ¥196

$13.37 PKR 3,700

118.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.59

$5.29 PKR 1,464

0.57%

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

$3.52 ¥23.57

$2.11 PKR 583

66.82%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.37 PKR 103

43.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.28 PKR 78.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ¥11.16

$0.86 PKR 238

94.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$0.52 PKR 144

240.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$1.24 PKR 344

4.03%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥13.68

$1.24 PKR 342

64.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 ¥97.2

$5.86 PKR 1,622

147.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥21.46

$3.12 PKR 862

2.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥75.2

$6.25 PKR 1,730

79.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$1.29 PKR 356

62.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$0.54 PKR 150

218.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$0.99 PKR 273

103.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$0.56 PKR 155

176.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.52

$0.33 PKR 91.6

103.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.70

$0.35 PKR 95.8

142.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$0.45 PKR 124

64.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.44 PKR 121

40.91%

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)

$4.42 ¥29.57

$1.79 PKR 497

146.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 ¥92.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$0.28 PKR 76.5

128.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.88 ¥234

$9.68 PKR 2,679

260.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$0.92 PKR 255

115.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.71 PKR 196

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 ¥51.2

$2.22 PKR 615

244.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.35 PKR 372

-5.93%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

9.83%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-32.19%

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

$59.0 ¥395

$112 PKR 30.9K

-47.23%

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

$8.94 ¥59.9

$6.05 PKR 1,673

47.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.15 ¥94.7

$13.29 PKR 3,679

6.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥273

$21.51 PKR 5,954

89.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.56 ¥164

$17.80 PKR 4,927

37.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.37

$4.42 PKR 1,222

66.97%

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

$650 ¥4,353

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1181.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.8K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

1150.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ¥471

$17.57 PKR 4,862

300.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 ¥271

$22.78 PKR 6,304

77.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥586

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

29.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 ¥830

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

202.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,246

$117 PKR 32.4K

695.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 ¥3,469

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

584.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 ¥16.0K

$365 PKR 101.1K

553.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 ¥7,654

$182 PKR 50.5K

527.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ¥84.1K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

1092.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,393 ¥42.8K

$491 PKR 135.8K

1202.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,710 ¥11.4K

$185 PKR 51.2K

825.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.21

13.21

-75.70%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): 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

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 85.4% $442

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 55.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 53.8% $78

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 43.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 59.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 45.3% $25

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 63% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $117 in Karachi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 825% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

3 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Karachi 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,768 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $735 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin) and $490 in Karachi. That's a gap of about 141%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karachi, where all-in costs run around $490, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,178. In Karachi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.