Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harbin and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $1,156 in Harbin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
Learn more

Harbin Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,156

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,156 per month in Harbin vs $482 in Karachi, rent included.

Harbin $1,156
Karachi $482

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Harbin vs $750 in Karachi, rent included.

Harbin $1,617
Karachi $750

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Harbin vs $1,018 in Karachi, rent included.

Harbin $2,077
Karachi $1,018

Harbin costs about 140% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Harbin and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Harbin 14% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.77

$2.13 PKR 588

3.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.30 ¥149

$13.30 PKR 3,680

67.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.47

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-2.57%

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

$2.81 ¥18.81

$2.09 PKR 579

34.45%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.40 PKR 111

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.26 PKR 71.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.00

$0.92 PKR 254

127.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.18

$0.56 PKR 156

251.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.25 PKR 345

-22.40%

Eggs

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.23 PKR 341

13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$5.67 PKR 1,570

56.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ¥17.44

$3.16 PKR 876

-17.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 ¥81.1

$6.28 PKR 1,737

93.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.49

$1.26 PKR 348

24.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$0.53 PKR 148

145.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.00 PKR 276

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$0.56 PKR 154

76.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$0.33 PKR 91.4

63.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$0.34 PKR 95.1

350.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.42 PKR 116

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$0.44 PKR 121

77.27%

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)

$2.55 ¥17.07

$1.84 PKR 509

38.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.80 ¥119

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 PKR 77.0

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.90 ¥72.9

$9.99 PKR 2,764

9.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$0.92 PKR 256

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.70 PKR 193

-58.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$2.16 PKR 597

63.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.38 PKR 382

-7.25%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

9.49%

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

$15.5K ¥103.9K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-42.64%

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

$77.8 ¥520

$113 PKR 31.4K

-31.44%

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

$14.58 ¥97.5

$5.95 PKR 1,648

145.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-7.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.0 ¥569

$21.55 PKR 5,965

294.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.80 ¥199

$18.23 PKR 5,044

63.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.11

$4.21 PKR 1,165

38.95%

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

$297 ¥1,986

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

469.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K ¥69.4K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

435.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.36 ¥203

$17.55 PKR 4,858

72.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 ¥196

$23.51 PKR 6,506

24.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥476

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$304 ¥2,035

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

649.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥2,123

$118 PKR 32.7K

169.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,052

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

520.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ¥9,018

$357 PKR 98.9K

277.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,561

$188 PKR 52.0K

183.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,192 ¥21.3K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

201.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ¥8,865

$481 PKR 133.1K

175.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 ¥3,903

$183 PKR 50.6K

219.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

13.21

-70.33%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harbin

$456 39.5%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 83.9% $383

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$209 18.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 51.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$196 17%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 65.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$105 9.1%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 26.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$97 8.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 69% $67

Eating Out

Harbin

$78 6.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 21.4% $17

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 3.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Harbin 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.

Salaries run about 219% higher in Harbin, 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 $22.00 in Harbin versus $13.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $101 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

3 h behind Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

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 = 3.21 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harbin Karachi 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
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

Harbin vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harbin costs about 140% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,733 per month in Harbin and $723 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Harbin and $13.00 in Karachi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,156 in Harbin and $482 in Karachi. That's a gap of about 140%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,156 in Harbin and $482 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.

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