Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $784 in Changsha, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
Learn more

Changsha Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Changsha

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 Changsha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $490 in Karachi versus $784 in Changsha.

Karachi $490
Changsha $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Karachi versus $1,263 in Changsha.

Karachi $755
Changsha $1,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Karachi versus $1,742 in Changsha.

Karachi $1,019
Changsha $1,742

Living in Karachi costs roughly 37% less than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 63% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$2.96 ¥19.80

-27.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 PKR 3,700

$22.08 ¥148

-39.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,464

$4.99 ¥33.35

6.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$2.11 PKR 583

$3.43 ¥22.94

-38.48%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.47 ¥3.12

-21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 78.2

$0.25 ¥1.66

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ¥8.36

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.15

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.96 ¥13.09

-56.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 144

$2.36 ¥15.76

-77.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.94 ¥6.29

31.91%

Eggs

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.73 ¥11.56

-28.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,622

$12.84 ¥85.8

-54.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 PKR 862

$3.91 ¥26.13

-20.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,731

$11.63 ¥77.7

-46.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 356

$2.92 ¥19.52

-55.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 150

$1.44 ¥9.60

-62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.90 ¥12.73

-47.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.94 ¥12.96

-71.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.6

$1.01 ¥6.76

-67.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.57 ¥10.51

-77.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.65 ¥4.33

-30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.48 ¥3.18

-8.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 PKR 497

$3.03 ¥20.22

-40.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 ¥83.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$0.36 ¥2.38

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.68 PKR 2,679

$14.89 ¥99.5

-34.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 255

$1.47 ¥9.84

-37.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.29 ¥1.92

144.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$4.52 ¥30.22

-50.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 PKR 372

$1.29 ¥8.60

4.65%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

-8.40%

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

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

$17.4K ¥116.2K

53.79%

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

$112 PKR 30.9K

$56.9 ¥380

96.66%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$8.83 ¥59.0

-31.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.29 PKR 3,679

$13.56 ¥90.6

-1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.51 PKR 5,954

$55.0 ¥367

-60.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 PKR 4,927

$24.39 ¥163

-27.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PKR 1,222

$6.44 ¥43.01

-31.37%

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

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$325 ¥2,169

-84.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

$16.8K ¥112.2K

-88.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.57 PKR 4,862

$81.8 ¥546

-78.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 PKR 6,304

$34.27 ¥229

-33.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

$87.2 ¥583

-22.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

$59.0 ¥395

-30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 PKR 32.5K

$265 ¥1,770

-55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$168 ¥1,122

-54.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 PKR 101.1K

$569 ¥3,804

-35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.5K

$383 ¥2,561

-52.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

$2,477 ¥16.6K

-57.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 PKR 135.8K

$1,393 ¥9,308

-64.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

$1,097 ¥7,331

-83.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.46

281.79%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 27.3%

Changsha

$79 10.2% 39.6% $52

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$101 20.9%

Changsha

$235 30.1% 133% $134

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$76 15.7%

Changsha

$168 21.5% 122% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.9%

Changsha

$118 15.1% 76.2% $51

Eating Out

Karachi

$61 12.7%

Changsha

$93 11.9% 52.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 124% $37

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 26.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $117 in Karachi and $265 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 493% 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: $13.00 in Karachi vs $22.00 in Changsha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $235 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

5,289,000

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Changsha 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Changsha

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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Changsha differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($490 vs $784 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 493% lower in Changsha. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $117 in Karachi versus $265 in Changsha. 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 $22.00 in Changsha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $490 per month in Karachi versus $784 in Changsha – a 60% 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 60% less than in Changsha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.