Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $895 in Dalian, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Dalian versus $490 in Karachi.

Dalian $895
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Dalian versus $755 in Karachi.

Dalian $1,433
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Dalian versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Dalian $1,970
Karachi $1,019

Living in Dalian is roughly 83% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ¥24.25

$2.15 PKR 596

68.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.88 ¥166

$13.37 PKR 3,700

86.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-3.21%

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

$3.30 ¥22.04

$2.11 PKR 583

56.40%

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

$0.49 ¥3.30

$0.37 PKR 103

32.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.67

$0.28 PKR 78.2

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.23

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$0.86 PKR 238

84.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.52

$0.52 PKR 144

173.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$1.24 PKR 344

-17.74%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.24 PKR 342

28.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 ¥136

$5.86 PKR 1,622

247.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$3.12 PKR 862

10.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.2

$6.25 PKR 1,731

108.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$1.29 PKR 356

1.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$0.54 PKR 150

109.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.90

$0.99 PKR 273

94.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$0.56 PKR 155

58.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$0.33 PKR 91.6

148.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$0.35 PKR 95.9

102.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$0.45 PKR 124

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.44 PKR 121

40.91%

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)

$3.75 ¥25.08

$1.79 PKR 497

109.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 ¥97.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 PKR 76.5

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥201

$9.68 PKR 2,679

210.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.92 PKR 255

66.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.71 PKR 196

-39.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥26.60

$2.22 PKR 615

79.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$1.35 PKR 372

-6.67%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

9.69%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-34.54%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$112 PKR 30.9K

-42.98%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$6.05 PKR 1,673

50.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.1

$13.29 PKR 3,679

0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 ¥270

$21.51 PKR 5,954

87.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.04 ¥241

$17.80 PKR 4,927

102.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 ¥45.75

$4.42 PKR 1,222

54.98%

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

$393 ¥2,627

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

674.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.9K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

954.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 ¥504

$17.57 PKR 4,862

329.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ¥367

$22.78 PKR 6,304

141.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥762

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

68.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ¥784

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

186.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥2,684

$117 PKR 32.5K

242.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,628

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

221.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥4,688

$365 PKR 101.1K

92.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ¥2,971

$182 PKR 50.5K

143.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,684 ¥17.9K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

154.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 ¥10.6K

$491 PKR 135.8K

222.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,090 ¥7,287

$185 PKR 51.2K

489.84%

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 Dalian: October 4, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$244 26.6%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 68.9% $168

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 57.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$163 17.8%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 58.8% $96

Eating Out

Dalian

$95 10.3%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 35.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$86 9.4%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 52.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 43.8% $24

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 56.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $402 in Dalian and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 490% 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: $25.00 in Dalian vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

3 h behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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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Dalian Karachi 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalian and Karachi differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 490% higher in Dalian, 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: $402 in Dalian versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $393 in Dalian versus $50.7 in Karachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Dalian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $490 in Karachi versus $895 in Dalian, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Dalian. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 83% less than in Dalian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.