Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $737 in Jilin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $737 per month in Jilin vs $483 in Karachi, rent included.

Jilin $737
Karachi $483

A couple spends around $1,185 per month in Jilin vs $754 in Karachi, rent included.

Jilin $1,185
Karachi $754

A family of three spends $1,633 per month in Jilin vs $1,025 in Karachi, rent included.

Jilin $1,633
Karachi $1,025

Jilin costs about 53% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jilin and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Jilin 46% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.79

$2.11 PKR 585

40.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 ¥152

$13.73 PKR 3,801

65.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.51

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-3.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥23.12

$2.14 PKR 593

61.68%

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

$0.45 ¥2.98

$0.40 PKR 111

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.69

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.12

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$0.90 PKR 250

94.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$0.55 PKR 153

196.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$1.20 PKR 333

-22.50%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.25 PKR 346

34.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ¥87.4

$5.96 PKR 1,650

119.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ¥22.75

$3.19 PKR 883

6.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.6

$6.48 PKR 1,793

72.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$1.24 PKR 344

45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$0.53 PKR 147

141.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$1.03 PKR 284

52.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$0.51 PKR 142

147.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$0.31 PKR 85.1

125.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.44

$0.31 PKR 87.1

209.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.41 PKR 113

53.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.44 PKR 120

22.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.49

$1.83 PKR 508

108.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.28 PKR 76.8

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$9.81 PKR 2,716

86.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.87 PKR 240

24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ¥1.59

$0.74 PKR 204

-67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.35

$2.23 PKR 617

217.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.38 PKR 383

-9.42%

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

$19.7K ¥131.7K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

7.32%

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

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-35.00%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$113 PKR 31.4K

-49.97%

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

$8.74 ¥58.4

$6.12 PKR 1,694

42.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.28 ¥75.4

$13.11 PKR 3,628

-13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 ¥284

$21.78 PKR 6,029

95.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.22 ¥102

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-16.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 ¥42.12

$4.26 PKR 1,179

47.89%

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

$415 ¥2,774

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

696.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

798.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 ¥289

$17.53 PKR 4,852

146.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.09 ¥228

$22.88 PKR 6,332

48.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

78.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,989

$118 PKR 32.5K

152.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,208

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

146.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 ¥4,248

$360 PKR 99.6K

76.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,517

$188 PKR 52.1K

99.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,419 ¥22.9K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

216.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,956 ¥13.1K

$474 PKR 131.2K

312.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ¥3,018

$182 PKR 50.4K

147.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

13.21

-74.56%

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

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$207 28.2%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 50.8% $105

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$181 24.5%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 59.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$101 13.8%

Karachi

$68 14% 33.5% $34

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 12.8%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 34.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$77 10.4%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 72.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$55 7.5%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 45% $25

Getting Around

Jilin

$22 2.9%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 28.6% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Jilin 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 148% higher in Jilin, 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 $23.00 in Jilin versus $14.00 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $102 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

21:05 9:05 PM

3 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

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 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).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Jilin Karachi 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
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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

Jilin vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jilin costs about 53% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,106 per month in Jilin and $725 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.

Kindergarten costs $415 per month in Jilin and $52.1 in Karachi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 103% more in Jilin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $737 in Jilin and $483 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, Jilin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.