Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $764 in Hefei, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Hefei versus $482 in Karachi.

Hefei $764
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in Hefei versus $750 in Karachi.

Hefei $1,215
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Hefei versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Hefei $1,666
Karachi $1,018

Living in Hefei is roughly 58% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hefei 43% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ¥17.37

$2.13 PKR 588

22.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$13.30 PKR 3,680

71.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ¥30.27

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-16.88%

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

$2.67 ¥17.83

$2.09 PKR 579

27.75%

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

$0.49 ¥3.27

$0.40 PKR 111

22.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.26 PKR 71.1

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.27

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥10.59

$0.92 PKR 254

71.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$0.56 PKR 156

251.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.30

$1.25 PKR 345

-36.80%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.22

$1.23 PKR 341

48.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 ¥92.5

$5.67 PKR 1,570

144.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 ¥31.85

$3.16 PKR 876

50.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

$6.28 PKR 1,737

83.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.44

$1.26 PKR 348

83.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$0.53 PKR 148

216.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.00 PKR 276

64.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$0.56 PKR 154

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$0.33 PKR 91.4

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$0.34 PKR 95.1

191.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$0.42 PKR 116

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$0.44 PKR 121

50.00%

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)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$1.84 PKR 509

66.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 PKR 77.0

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.14 ¥295

$9.99 PKR 2,764

341.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$0.92 PKR 256

27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.70 PKR 193

-52.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$2.16 PKR 597

63.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.38 PKR 382

-5.80%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

6.28%

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

$16.9K ¥112.8K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-37.71%

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

$49.24 ¥329

$113 PKR 31.4K

-56.60%

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

$9.03 ¥60.4

$5.95 PKR 1,648

51.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-11.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 ¥105

$21.55 PKR 5,965

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.63 ¥105

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-14.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 ¥43.00

$4.21 PKR 1,165

52.73%

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

$246 ¥1,645

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

371.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,528 ¥57.0K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

339.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 ¥608

$17.55 PKR 4,858

418.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 ¥219

$23.51 PKR 6,506

39.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 ¥422

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ¥658

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

142.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,662

$118 PKR 32.7K

110.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

144.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥3,679

$357 PKR 98.9K

53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$188 PKR 52.0K

76.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ¥24.0K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

238.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 ¥12.8K

$481 PKR 133.1K

297.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,007 ¥6,734

$183 PKR 50.6K

450.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

13.21

-76.15%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$230 30.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 56% $129

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$180 23.5%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 59.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$128 16.8%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 47.3% $61

Eating Out

Hefei

$78 10.3%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 22.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 89.4% $63

Getting Around

Hefei

$48 6.3%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 67.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$29 3.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 4.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Hefei and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 451% 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: $23.00 in Hefei vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

23:28 11:28 PM

3 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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 18, 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 18, 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

Hefei Karachi 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Hefei. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karachi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 451% higher in Hefei, 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: $249 in Hefei versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karachi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $23.00 in Hefei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $764 per month in Hefei versus $482 in Karachi – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 58% less than in Hefei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.