Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $642 in Chaozhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $483 in Karachi.

Chaozhou $642
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $754 in Karachi.

Chaozhou $1,047
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Chaozhou $1,451
Karachi $1,025

Living in Chaozhou is roughly 33% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chaozhou 53% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$2.11 PKR 585

7.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$13.73 PKR 3,801

72.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-35.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$2.14 PKR 593

-28.97%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.40 PKR 111

22.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.28 PKR 77.7

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$0.90 PKR 250

68.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$0.55 PKR 153

169.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.20 PKR 333

-39.17%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.25 PKR 346

-7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$5.96 PKR 1,650

61.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$3.19 PKR 883

-21.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$6.48 PKR 1,793

85.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$1.24 PKR 344

77.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$0.53 PKR 147

77.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.03 PKR 284

-10.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$0.51 PKR 142

245.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.31 PKR 85.1

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.31 PKR 87.1

51.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.41 PKR 113

4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.44 PKR 120

-29.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$1.83 PKR 508

61.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.28 PKR 76.8

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$9.81 PKR 2,716

83.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$0.87 PKR 240

14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.74 PKR 204

-60.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$2.23 PKR 617

215.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.38 PKR 383

-10.14%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

5.62%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-33.21%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$113 PKR 31.4K

-61.34%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-29.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$13.11 PKR 3,628

-13.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$21.78 PKR 6,029

89.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-17.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$4.26 PKR 1,179

49.30%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

827.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

1171.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$17.53 PKR 4,852

-23.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$22.88 PKR 6,332

24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

29.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

44.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$118 PKR 32.5K

154.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

145.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$360 PKR 99.6K

73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$188 PKR 52.1K

99.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

225.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$474 PKR 131.2K

311.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$182 PKR 50.4K

169.32%

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 Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 43.4% $78

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 59.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Karachi

$68 14% 21% $18

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 0.4% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 123% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 43.8% $24

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 28.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chaozhou pays 169% 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: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

3 h behind Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

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 = 3.21 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Chaozhou Karachi 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

Chaozhou vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaozhou and Karachi differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($642 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 169% higher in Chaozhou, 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: $300 in Chaozhou versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Chaozhou versus $52.1 in Karachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Chaozhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 33% less than in Chaozhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.