Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,036 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,036

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,036 per month in Hangzhou vs $490 in Karachi, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,036
Karachi $490

A couple spends around $1,557 per month in Hangzhou vs $755 in Karachi, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,557
Karachi $755

A family of three spends $2,078 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,019 in Karachi, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,078
Karachi $1,019

Hangzhou costs about 112% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 23% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 ¥25.69

$2.15 PKR 596

78.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.60 ¥171

$13.37 PKR 3,700

91.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ¥30.75

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-13.23%

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

$3.41 ¥22.84

$2.11 PKR 583

61.61%

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

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.37 PKR 103

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.28 PKR 78.2

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.22

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.43

$0.86 PKR 238

116.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$0.52 PKR 144

207.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.44

$1.24 PKR 344

-10.48%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥13.82

$1.24 PKR 342

66.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ¥131

$5.86 PKR 1,622

232.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.36

$3.12 PKR 862

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 ¥67.8

$6.25 PKR 1,730

62.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.37

$1.29 PKR 356

78.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.10

$0.54 PKR 150

151.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ¥10.12

$0.99 PKR 273

52.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.74

$0.56 PKR 155

185.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.33 PKR 91.6

160.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.65

$0.35 PKR 95.8

182.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.45 PKR 124

48.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.58

$0.44 PKR 121

20.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥26.75

$1.79 PKR 497

123.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 ¥90.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥4.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.05

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.28 PKR 76.5

110.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.15 ¥121

$9.68 PKR 2,679

87.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.81

$0.92 PKR 255

107.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.71 PKR 196

-49.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 ¥48.33

$2.22 PKR 615

225.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.35 PKR 372

-2.96%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

9.34%

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

$18.2K ¥121.7K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-32.00%

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

$48.36 ¥324

$112 PKR 30.9K

-56.74%

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

$9.79 ¥65.5

$6.05 PKR 1,673

61.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.72 ¥98.5

$13.29 PKR 3,679

10.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥349

$21.51 PKR 5,954

142.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 ¥132

$17.80 PKR 4,927

11.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 ¥48.89

$4.42 PKR 1,222

65.16%

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

$563 ¥3,771

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1010.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.7K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

1745.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 ¥398

$17.57 PKR 4,862

238.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.16 ¥282

$22.78 PKR 6,304

85.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ¥568

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥733

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

167.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,171

$117 PKR 32.4K

431.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,581

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

409.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 ¥8,085

$365 PKR 101.1K

230.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,500

$182 PKR 50.5K

268.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,991 ¥53.5K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

658.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,678 ¥24.6K

$491 PKR 135.8K

649.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.6K

$185 PKR 51.2K

755.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

13.21

-73.50%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: 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

Hangzhou

$386 37.9%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 80.4% $310

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$236 23.2%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 57.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 49.7% $66

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$99 9.8%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 38.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.2%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 80% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$67 6.6%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 54.5% $36

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 37.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Hangzhou versus $117 in Karachi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 756% higher in Hangzhou, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

06:55 6:55 AM

3 h behind Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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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Hangzhou Karachi 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
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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

Hangzhou vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,555 per month in Hangzhou and $735 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 134% more in Hangzhou, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karachi, where all-in costs run around $490, than in Hangzhou at $1,036. In Karachi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Karachi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.