Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Pakistan

Name: Pakistan
Address: PK

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $472 a month against $793 in China, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
Learn more

Pakistan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Pakistan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in China and in Pakistan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $472 in Pakistan.

China $793
Pakistan $472

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $718 in Pakistan.

China $1,261
Pakistan $718

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $964 in Pakistan.

China $1,730
Pakistan $964

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $466 to $1,244, compared to $281–$599 in Pakistan. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China is roughly 68% more expensive than in Pakistan on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 41% lower, Pakistan 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$2.15 PKR 596

37.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$13.73 PKR 3,800

65.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.70

$5.54 PKR 1,533

-3.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 PKR 604

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 PKR 1,214

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

$1.96 PKR 543

55.10%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$0.36 PKR 98.6

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.21 PKR 57.9

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$0.82 PKR 227

119.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$0.62 PKR 173

172.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$1.19 PKR 329

-15.97%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.18 PKR 326

32.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.8

$5.36 PKR 1,483

150.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.28

$2.89 PKR 801

20.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$5.00 PKR 1,383

129.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$1.15 PKR 318

55.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$0.66 PKR 182

90.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.92

$0.83 PKR 230

78.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$0.53 PKR 148

147.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$0.31 PKR 85.1

132.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$0.41 PKR 115

126.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.37 PKR 103

64.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.38 PKR 105

52.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.07 PKR 572

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 297

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 643

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.65

$2.20 PKR 608

74.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.16 PKR 44.99

93.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥150

$9.65 PKR 2,671

131.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$0.86 PKR 237

70.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.56 PKR 154

-32.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.04

$2.19 PKR 607

221.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.30 PKR 359

-4.62%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

7.99%

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

$17.3K ¥115.6K

$25.4K PKR 7.0M

-31.98%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$110 PKR 30.5K

-50.73%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$5.62 PKR 1,557

48.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$16.21 PKR 4,486

-33.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$16.95 PKR 4,691

138.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$11.27 PKR 3,120

31.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.08

$4.41 PKR 1,220

56.24%

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

$457 ¥3,057

$45.68 PKR 12.6K

900.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.2K

$1,539 PKR 426.1K

1203.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥302

$17.53 PKR 4,853

157.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$23.38 PKR 6,472

52.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥521

$76.3 PKR 21.1K

2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥522

$34.50 PKR 9,548

126.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,615

$139 PKR 38.5K

181.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,549

$79.9 PKR 22.1K

190.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,457

$323 PKR 89.3K

152.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,070

$173 PKR 47.8K

165.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.7K

$1,021 PKR 282.7K

348.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$533 PKR 147.6K

333.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,247

$193 PKR 53.3K

462.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

14.1

-75.46%

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pakistan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Pakistan

$80 16.9% 65.5% $152

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Pakistan

$93 19.7% 56% $118

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Pakistan

$68 14.5% 35.9% $38

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Pakistan

$60 12.6% 32.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Pakistan

$132 28% 79.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Pakistan

$26 5.5% 52.4% $28

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Pakistan

$14 3% 48.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $125 in Pakistan. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $276 in Islamabad.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $185 in Pakistan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 138% higher in China.

Dining out costs 62% more in China.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 371% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

3 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

223,773,700

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

China Pakistan 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Pakistan

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

China vs Pakistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $472 in Pakistan, there's a 68% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Pakistan: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $298 in China and $125 in Pakistan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Pakistan, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Pakistan wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.