Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $721 in Chenzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
Learn more

Chenzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Chenzhou

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

A single person spends $495 per month in Karachi vs $721 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Karachi $495
Chenzhou $721

A couple spends around $770 per month in Karachi vs $1,197 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Karachi $770
Chenzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $1,046 per month in Karachi vs $1,674 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Karachi $1,046
Chenzhou $1,674

Karachi is about 31% cheaper than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 PKR 610

$3.03 ¥20.15

-27.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 PKR 3,562

$22.13 ¥147

-41.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 PKR 1,459

$4.86 ¥32.33

8.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 598

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,036

Cappuccino

$2.16 PKR 598

$1.54 ¥10.24

40.26%

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

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.51 ¥3.41

-25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.3

$0.27 ¥1.80

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.58

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.59

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 248

$1.97 ¥13.09

-54.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$2.38 ¥15.83

-78.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 331

$0.79 ¥5.23

51.90%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.72 ¥11.46

-27.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 PKR 1,611

$13.15 ¥87.5

-55.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 PKR 860

$4.13 ¥27.47

-24.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 PKR 1,807

$11.57 ¥77.0

-43.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$0.59 ¥3.92

116.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$1.18 ¥7.82

-54.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$0.73 ¥4.87

39.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.19 ¥7.89

-52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 94.9

$0.97 ¥6.49

-64.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.0

$1.54 ¥10.24

-79.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.61 ¥4.04

-32.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.49 ¥3.23

-12.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 368

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$3.02 ¥20.08

-41.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.31 ¥2.05

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 PKR 3,237

$15.40 ¥103

-24.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.52 ¥10.09

-39.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.29 ¥1.93

151.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 PKR 615

$4.60 ¥30.59

-51.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.29 ¥8.59

3.10%

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

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

$19.3K ¥128.3K

-5.33%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$17.4K ¥115.6K

51.82%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$56.3 ¥375

99.17%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,656

$8.94 ¥59.5

-33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.18 PKR 3,648

$11.27 ¥75.0

16.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 PKR 6,826

$42.59 ¥283

-42.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 PKR 5,061

$14.67 ¥97.6

24.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 PKR 1,201

$6.48 ¥43.13

-33.02%

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

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

$329 ¥2,188

-79.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,915 PKR 529.9K

$16.9K ¥112.3K

-88.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 PKR 4,873

$84.2 ¥561

-79.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 PKR 6,097

$35.01 ¥233

-37.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

$89.1 ¥593

-23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.66 PKR 11.3K

$58.9 ¥392

-30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 PKR 37.6K

$310 ¥2,061

-56.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$163 ¥1,086

-49.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 PKR 108.5K

$584 ¥3,885

-32.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 PKR 57.2K

$414 ¥2,753

-50.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,046 PKR 289.5K

$3,531 ¥23.5K

-70.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$482 PKR 133.2K

$1,917 ¥12.8K

-74.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 PKR 51.0K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$131 26.6%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 41.7% $55

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 20.5%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 112% $114

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$82 16.6%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 98.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$67 13.5%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 79.7% $53

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.5%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 14% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$33 6.7%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 66.6% $22

Getting Around

Karachi

$17 3.5%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 12.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Karachi versus $310 in Chenzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Karachi versus $22 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $215 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karachi Chenzhou 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Chenzhou

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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $495 in Karachi, $721 in Chenzhou – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $742 per month in Karachi and $1,081 in Chenzhou. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $310 in Chenzhou.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Karachi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $67 per month in Karachi and $329 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $495 in Karachi and $721 in Chenzhou, 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.

For expats, Karachi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 46% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.