Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaifeng and Karachi

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaifeng and in Karachi: $501 and $482 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$501

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $501 in Kaifeng versus $482 in Karachi.

Kaifeng $501
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $791 in Kaifeng versus $750 in Karachi.

Kaifeng $791
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,081 in Kaifeng versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Kaifeng $1,081
Karachi $1,018

Living in Kaifeng is roughly 4% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaifeng 63% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.77 ¥11.83

$2.13 PKR 588

-16.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.50 ¥90.3

$13.30 PKR 3,680

1.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.15 ¥27.74

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-23.85%

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

$2.41 ¥16.12

$2.09 PKR 579

15.31%

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

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.40 PKR 111

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ¥1.06

$0.26 PKR 71.1

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.12

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.78

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$0.92 PKR 254

63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.18

$0.56 PKR 156

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.25 PKR 345

-30.40%

Eggs

$0.90 ¥6.03

$1.23 PKR 341

-26.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.85 ¥45.78

$5.67 PKR 1,570

20.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.36 ¥15.81

$3.16 PKR 876

-25.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 ¥65.0

$6.28 PKR 1,737

54.94%

Apples (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.58

$1.26 PKR 348

-34.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$0.53 PKR 148

90.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.00 PKR 276

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 ¥4.03

$0.56 PKR 154

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.33 PKR 91.4

87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$0.34 PKR 95.1

114.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.42 PKR 116

-50.00%

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)

$2.90 ¥19.39

$1.84 PKR 509

57.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 ¥98.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥6.62

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.05

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ¥0.98

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$0.92 PKR 256

27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.70 PKR 193

-77.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ¥23.91

$2.16 PKR 597

65.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.40

$1.38 PKR 382

-8.70%

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

$19.0K ¥127.3K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

6.36%

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

$15.0K ¥100.2K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-44.67%

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

$45.41 ¥304

$113 PKR 31.4K

-59.97%

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

$4.89 ¥32.70

$5.95 PKR 1,648

-17.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.17 ¥34.55

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-60.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.40 ¥197

$21.55 PKR 5,965

36.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-42.29%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 ¥24.65

$4.21 PKR 1,165

-12.35%

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

$382 ¥2,553

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

632.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥208.6K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

1508.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.28 ¥289

$17.55 PKR 4,858

146.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.17 ¥222

$23.51 PKR 6,506

41.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ¥482

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

4.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.68 ¥305

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 ¥803

$118 PKR 32.7K

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 ¥600

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

21.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 ¥1,506

$357 PKR 98.9K

-36.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,192

$188 PKR 52.0K

-5.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$577 ¥3,861

$183 PKR 50.6K

215.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

13.21

-76.53%

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

Last update for Kaifeng: 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

Kaifeng

$164 32.7%

Karachi

$101 21% 38.1% $62

Accommodation & Living

Kaifeng

$90 17.9%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 18% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kaifeng

$87 17.5%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 22.5% $20

Eating Out

Kaifeng

$65 13.1%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 6.7% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaifeng

$55 11.1%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 139% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Kaifeng

$37 7.3%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 18.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Kaifeng

$2.6 * 0.5%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 506% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $120 in Kaifeng and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaifeng pays 216% 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: $14.00 in Kaifeng vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

3 h behind Kaifeng

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,676,159

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kaifeng Karachi 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaifeng
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

Kaifeng vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kaifeng. 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 216% higher in Kaifeng, 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: $120 in Kaifeng versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Kaifeng. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $501 per month in Kaifeng versus $482 in Karachi – a 4% 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 4% less than in Kaifeng. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.