Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chenzhou and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $721 in Chenzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Chenzhou vs $495 in Karachi, rent included.

Chenzhou $721
Karachi $495

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Chenzhou vs $770 in Karachi, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,197
Karachi $770

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,046 in Karachi, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,674
Karachi $1,046

Chenzhou costs about 46% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chenzhou and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Chenzhou 47% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.18

$2.21 PKR 610

37.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.13 ¥148

$12.87 PKR 3,559

71.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.38

$5.27 PKR 1,458

-7.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 597

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,035

Cappuccino

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.16 PKR 598

-28.70%

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

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.38 PKR 106

34.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.25 PKR 69.2

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.11

$0.90 PKR 248

118.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.85

$0.52 PKR 143

357.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.24

$1.20 PKR 331

-34.17%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$1.25 PKR 345

37.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ¥87.6

$5.82 PKR 1,609

125.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ¥27.51

$3.11 PKR 860

32.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.1

$6.53 PKR 1,806

77.18%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.28 PKR 354

-53.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.84

$0.54 PKR 149

118.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$1.02 PKR 282

-28.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$0.56 PKR 155

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$0.34 PKR 94.9

185.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$0.31 PKR 86.9

396.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.41 PKR 113

48.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.24

$0.43 PKR 120

13.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 367

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ¥20.11

$1.78 PKR 492

69.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.47

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.28 PKR 77.1

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 ¥103

$11.70 PKR 3,235

31.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$0.92 PKR 254

65.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.73 PKR 203

-60.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 ¥30.64

$2.22 PKR 614

107.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.33 PKR 369

-3.01%

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

$19.3K ¥128.6K

$18.3K PKR 5.0M

5.63%

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

$17.4K ¥115.8K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-34.13%

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

$56.3 ¥375

$112 PKR 31.0K

-49.79%

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

$8.94 ¥59.6

$5.99 PKR 1,655

49.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.27 ¥75.1

$13.18 PKR 3,645

-14.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 ¥284

$24.67 PKR 6,820

72.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 ¥97.8

$18.29 PKR 5,058

-19.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.20

$4.34 PKR 1,201

49.31%

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

$329 ¥2,192

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

389.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.5K

$1,915 PKR 529.5K

781.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 ¥562

$17.61 PKR 4,870

378.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 ¥233

$22.03 PKR 6,092

58.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ¥594

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

30.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ¥392

$40.66 PKR 11.2K

44.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,064

$136 PKR 37.6K

127.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,087

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

98.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,892

$392 PKR 108.4K

48.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,757

$207 PKR 57.2K

100.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,531 ¥23.5K

$1,046 PKR 289.3K

237.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$482 PKR 133.1K

298.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

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 Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chenzhou

$215 29.8%

Karachi

$102 20.5% 52.8% $114

Accommodation & Living

Chenzhou

$163 22.6%

Karachi

$82 16.6% 49.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Chenzhou

$120 16.7%

Karachi

$67 13.5% 44.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chenzhou

$77 10.6%

Karachi

$131 26.6% 71.6% $55

Eating Out

Chenzhou

$71 9.8%

Karachi

$62 12.5% 12.3% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chenzhou

$56 7.7%

Karachi

$33 6.7% 40% $22

Getting Around

Chenzhou

$20 2.7%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 11.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Chenzhou versus $136 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 $22 in Chenzhou versus $13 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $102 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

3 h behind Chenzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,667,134

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Chenzhou Karachi 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chenzhou
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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

Chenzhou vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $721 in Chenzhou, $495 in Karachi – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,081 per month in Chenzhou and $742 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $310 in Chenzhou.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chenzhou and $67 in Karachi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $721 in Chenzhou and $495 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

For expats, Karachi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 46% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.