Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guiyang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $716 in Guiyang, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Guiyang
🇨🇳 China
$716
/mo nomad
Karachi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $716 per month in Guiyang vs $482 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Guiyang $716
  • Karachi $482

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Guiyang vs $750 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Guiyang $1,134
  • Karachi $750

A family of three spends $1,553 per month in Guiyang vs $1,018 in Karachi, rent included.

  • Guiyang $1,553
  • Karachi $1,018

Guiyang costs about 49% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.84 ¥18.97
$2.13 PKR 588
33.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.82 ¥146
$13.30 PKR 3,680
64.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ¥31.98
$5.45 PKR 1,508
-12.29%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.19 PKR 607
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.24 PKR 2,005
-
Cappuccino
$2.95 ¥19.73
$2.09 PKR 579
41.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥2.92
$0.40 PKR 111
10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥1.96
$0.26 PKR 71.1
11.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.90 ¥6.01
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 ¥13.86
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 ¥12.10
$0.92 PKR 254
96.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 ¥10.43
$0.56 PKR 156
178.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.48
$1.25 PKR 345
-22.40%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.65
$1.23 PKR 341
29.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.62 ¥84.4
$5.67 PKR 1,570
122.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.28 ¥21.93
$3.16 PKR 876
3.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.06 ¥67.3
$6.28 PKR 1,737
60.19%
Apples (1kg)
$1.82 ¥12.14
$1.26 PKR 348
44.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.20 ¥8.00
$0.53 PKR 148
126.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 ¥9.99
$1.00 PKR 276
49.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.11 ¥7.39
$0.56 PKR 154
98.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ¥4.61
$0.33 PKR 91.4
109.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.06
$0.34 PKR 95.1
167.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 ¥3.71
$0.42 PKR 116
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.48
$0.44 PKR 121
18.18%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.25 PKR 346
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.32 PKR 365
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.42 PKR 670
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.16 ¥21.13
$1.84 PKR 509
71.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.37 ¥69.3
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 ¥5.40
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.90
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.95
$0.28 PKR 77.0
3.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.97 ¥113
$9.99 PKR 2,764
69.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ¥9.03
$0.92 PKR 256
46.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.36
$0.70 PKR 193
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.60 ¥44.10
$2.16 PKR 597
205.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥7.90
$1.38 PKR 382
-14.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥128.1K
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
7.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.1K ¥114.6K
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
-36.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.97 ¥307
$113 PKR 31.4K
-59.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.69 ¥64.8
$5.95 PKR 1,648
62.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.79 ¥78.8
$13.16 PKR 3,642
-10.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.04 ¥274
$21.55 PKR 5,965
90.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.92 ¥93.1
$18.23 PKR 5,044
-23.64%
Cinema Ticket
$6.08 ¥40.65
$4.21 PKR 1,165
44.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$331 ¥2,211
$52.2 PKR 14.4K
534.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.7K ¥111.6K
$1,940 PKR 537.0K
760.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.28 ¥296
$17.55 PKR 4,858
152.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.65 ¥205
$23.51 PKR 6,506
30.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.0 ¥481
$68.9 PKR 19.1K
4.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.7 ¥473
$40.59 PKR 11.2K
74.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$278 ¥1,862
$118 PKR 32.7K
135.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 ¥1,307
$73.6 PKR 20.4K
165.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$581 ¥3,888
$357 PKR 98.9K
62.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 ¥2,451
$188 PKR 52.0K
95.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,040 ¥20.3K
$1,060 PKR 293.4K
186.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,022 ¥13.5K
$481 PKR 133.1K
320.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guiyang
Karachi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$183 PKR 50.6K
-
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 Guiyang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Guiyang
$197
Karachi
$101 48.5% $95
Accommodation & Living
Guiyang
$195
Karachi
$74 62.3% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Guiyang
$98
Karachi
$68 30.8% $30
Eating Out
Guiyang
$84
Karachi
$61 27.3% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guiyang
$67
Karachi
$133 96.5% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Guiyang
$53
Karachi
$30 43.7% $23
Getting Around
Guiyang
$21
Karachi
$16 27% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Guiyang versus $118 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 $22.00 in Guiyang versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Guiyang
🇵🇰 Karachi
🕒 Local time
16:33 4:33 PM
13:33 1:33 PM
3 h behind Guiyang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,324,561
14,910,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guiyang Karachi 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guiyang
  • 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
Guiyang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Guiyang and in Karachi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $716 in Guiyang, $482 in Karachi – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Guiyang compared to Karachi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,074 per month in Guiyang and $723 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Guiyang and Karachi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karachi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Guiyang and Karachi?
Kindergarten costs $331 per month in Guiyang and $52.2 in Karachi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 94% more in Guiyang, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How far does $1,200 go in Guiyang compared to Karachi?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $716 in Guiyang and $482 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Guiyang or Karachi?
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.
How do I decide between Guiyang and Karachi?
If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guiyang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Guiyang vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?