Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Benxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $710 in Benxi, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
Learn more

Benxi Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Benxi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Karachi and in Benxi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $482 per month in Karachi vs $710 in Benxi, rent included.

Karachi $482
Benxi $710

A couple spends around $750 per month in Karachi vs $1,027 in Benxi, rent included.

Karachi $750
Benxi $1,027

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Karachi vs $1,344 in Benxi, rent included.

Karachi $1,018
Benxi $1,344

Karachi is about 32% cheaper than Benxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Benxi are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Benxi 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$3.06 ¥20.47

-30.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.30 PKR 3,680

$22.56 ¥151

-41.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PKR 1,508

$5.36 ¥35.83

1.68%

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

$2.09 PKR 579

$2.42 ¥16.19

-13.64%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.47 ¥3.14

-14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 71.1

$0.29 ¥1.94

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.70

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.88 ¥12.58

-51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.18 ¥7.91

-52.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.86 ¥5.73

45.35%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.61 ¥10.73

-23.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

$9.96 ¥66.6

-43.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

$2.98 ¥19.92

6.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 PKR 1,737

$8.87 ¥59.3

-29.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.61 ¥10.74

-21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.40 ¥9.33

-62.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.68 ¥11.23

-40.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.37 ¥9.14

-59.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.62 ¥4.15

-46.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$1.84 ¥12.32

-81.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.62 ¥4.11

-32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.70 ¥4.69

-37.14%

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)

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.95 ¥19.73

-37.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 ¥55.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ¥8.61

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.0

$0.31 ¥2.08

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,764

$12.18 ¥81.4

-17.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 256

$0.93 ¥6.21

-1.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.31 ¥2.09

125.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 597

$3.03 ¥20.29

-28.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 382

$1.13 ¥7.55

22.12%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$19.1K ¥127.8K

-6.35%

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

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

$17.6K ¥117.8K

53.67%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$54.5 ¥364

108.36%

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

$5.95 PKR 1,648

$6.90 ¥46.10

-13.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 PKR 3,642

$10.40 ¥69.6

26.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,965

$67.7 ¥452

-68.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,044

$8.23 ¥55.1

121.51%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,165

$5.81 ¥38.82

-27.54%

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

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

$440 ¥2,941

-88.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

$8,949 ¥59.8K

-78.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.55 PKR 4,858

$30.00 ¥201

-41.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

$83.4 ¥558

-71.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

$59.8 ¥399

15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

$52.0 ¥348

-21.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$134 ¥899

-12.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$181 ¥1,212

-59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 PKR 98.9K

$257 ¥1,718

39.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.0K

$149 ¥995

26.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

$3,794 ¥25.4K

-72.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 PKR 133.1K

$1,967 ¥13.2K

-75.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$457 ¥3,055

-59.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

230.25%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benxi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.5%

Benxi

$72 10.1% 45.9% $61

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 21%

Benxi

$181 25.4% 78.5% $79

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$74 15.3%

Benxi

$181 25.5% 146% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14.1%

Benxi

$101 14.3% 49.6% $34

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Benxi

$80 11.3% 31% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.2%

Benxi

$79 11.2% 165% $49

Getting Around

Karachi

$16 3.2%

Benxi

$16 2.2% 2.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $134 in Benxi. 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 150% higher in Benxi, 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 $13.00 in Karachi versus $23.00 in Benxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $181 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇨🇳 Benxi

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

809,655

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

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).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karachi Benxi 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Benxi

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

Karachi vs Benxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benxi costs about 47% 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 $723 per month in Karachi and $1,065 in Benxi. 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 $52.2 per month in Karachi and $440 in Benxi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Benxi, 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 $482 in Karachi and $710 in Benxi, 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, Benxi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.