Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changshu and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $707 in Changshu, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
Learn more

Changshu Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in Changshu versus $490 in Karachi.

Changshu $707
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,120 in Changshu versus $755 in Karachi.

Changshu $1,120
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,532 in Changshu versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Changshu $1,532
Karachi $1,019

Living in Changshu is roughly 44% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changshu 47% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ¥18.12

$2.15 PKR 595

26.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.35 ¥143

$13.37 PKR 3,699

59.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.30

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-5.86%

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

$3.09 ¥20.67

$2.11 PKR 583

46.45%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.37 PKR 103

16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 PKR 78.2

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.78

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$0.86 PKR 238

117.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$0.52 PKR 144

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$1.24 PKR 344

-27.42%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.31

$1.24 PKR 342

24.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 ¥86.1

$5.86 PKR 1,621

119.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ¥21.16

$3.12 PKR 862

1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.5

$6.25 PKR 1,730

61.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$1.29 PKR 356

41.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$0.54 PKR 150

131.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$0.99 PKR 273

55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$0.56 PKR 155

103.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.33 PKR 91.6

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.98

$0.35 PKR 95.8

154.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.45 PKR 124

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.44 PKR 121

13.64%

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)

$3.04 ¥20.35

$1.79 PKR 497

69.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 ¥71.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.28 PKR 76.5

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.85 ¥113

$9.68 PKR 2,679

74.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$0.92 PKR 255

48.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.71 PKR 196

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 ¥45.56

$2.22 PKR 615

207.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$1.35 PKR 372

-15.56%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

8.49%

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

$16.9K ¥113.2K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-36.67%

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

$44.92 ¥300

$112 PKR 30.9K

-59.82%

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

$9.95 ¥66.5

$6.05 PKR 1,673

64.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$13.29 PKR 3,678

-12.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 ¥282

$21.51 PKR 5,953

96.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 ¥91.3

$17.80 PKR 4,926

-23.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.29

$4.42 PKR 1,222

33.03%

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

$340 ¥2,272

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

570.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$1,957 PKR 541.5K

774.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 ¥290

$17.57 PKR 4,861

146.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 ¥201

$22.78 PKR 6,302

32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ¥473

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ¥490

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

78.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,853

$117 PKR 32.4K

136.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

153.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,986

$365 PKR 101.0K

63.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ¥2,370

$182 PKR 50.5K

94.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 ¥20.4K

$1,054 PKR 291.5K

189.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥13.4K

$491 PKR 135.8K

309.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

13.21

-70.55%

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

Last update for Changshu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changshu

$198 27.7%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 49% $97

Accommodation & Living

Changshu

$192 26.8%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 60.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Changshu

$98 13.7%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 31.6% $31

Eating Out

Changshu

$85 12%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 28.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changshu

$67 9.3%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 97.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Changshu

$54 7.6%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 43.8% $24

Getting Around

Changshu

$21 3%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 27.6% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Changshu and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Changshu vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changshu

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

3 h behind Changshu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,677,050

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 13, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Changshu Karachi 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Changshu
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

Changshu vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,061 in Changshu and $735 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $277 in Changshu 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 $21.00 in Changshu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $707 per month in Changshu versus $490 in Karachi – a 44% 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.

Safety-wise, Changshu and Karachi 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 44% less than in Changshu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.