Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $784 in Changsha, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in Changsha versus $490 in Karachi.

Changsha $784
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,263 in Changsha versus $755 in Karachi.

Changsha $1,263
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,742 in Changsha versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Changsha $1,742
Karachi $1,019

Living in Changsha is roughly 60% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changsha 42% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.80

$2.15 PKR 596

37.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 ¥148

$13.37 PKR 3,700

65.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-5.67%

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

$3.43 ¥22.94

$2.11 PKR 583

62.56%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.37 PKR 103

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.28 PKR 78.2

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ¥8.36

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$0.86 PKR 238

127.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 ¥15.76

$0.52 PKR 144

353.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.24 PKR 344

-24.19%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.24 PKR 342

39.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 ¥85.8

$5.86 PKR 1,622

119.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ¥26.13

$3.12 PKR 862

25.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$6.25 PKR 1,731

86.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$1.29 PKR 356

126.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$0.54 PKR 150

166.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$0.99 PKR 273

91.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$0.56 PKR 155

246.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.33 PKR 91.6

206.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$0.35 PKR 95.9

348.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.45 PKR 124

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.44 PKR 121

9.09%

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)

$3.03 ¥20.22

$1.79 PKR 497

69.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 ¥83.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.28 PKR 76.5

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.5

$9.68 PKR 2,679

53.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.92 PKR 255

59.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.71 PKR 196

-59.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.22

$2.22 PKR 615

103.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.35 PKR 372

-4.44%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

9.17%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-34.97%

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

$56.9 ¥380

$112 PKR 30.9K

-49.15%

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

$8.83 ¥59.0

$6.05 PKR 1,673

45.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.56 ¥90.6

$13.29 PKR 3,679

2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥367

$21.51 PKR 5,954

155.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 ¥163

$17.80 PKR 4,927

37.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 ¥43.01

$4.42 PKR 1,222

45.70%

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

$325 ¥2,169

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

539.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

757.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 ¥546

$17.57 PKR 4,862

365.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.27 ¥229

$22.78 PKR 6,304

50.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 ¥583

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

29.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 ¥395

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

44.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,770

$117 PKR 32.5K

125.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,122

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

121.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,804

$365 PKR 101.1K

55.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$182 PKR 50.5K

110.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 ¥16.6K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

135.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,393 ¥9,308

$491 PKR 135.8K

183.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 ¥7,331

$185 PKR 51.2K

493.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.21

-73.81%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$235 30.1%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 57.1% $134

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$168 21.5%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 54.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$118 15.1%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 43.2% $51

Eating Out

Changsha

$93 11.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 34.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.2%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 65.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 55.3% $37

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 20.7% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $265 in Changsha and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 493% 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: $22.00 in Changsha vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

3 h behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 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 →

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Between locations

Changsha Karachi 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
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

Changsha vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changsha and Karachi differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($784 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 493% higher in Changsha, 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: $265 in Changsha versus $117 in Karachi. 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 $22.00 in Changsha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $784 per month in Changsha versus $490 in Karachi – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Changsha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.