Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Gongzhuling

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $592 in Gongzhuling, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Gongzhuling
Learn more

Gongzhuling Living Index

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Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Gongzhuling

🇨🇳 China

$592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi and in Gongzhuling

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

A single person spends $483 per month in Karachi vs $591 in Gongzhuling, rent included.

Karachi $483
Gongzhuling $591

A couple spends around $754 per month in Karachi vs $946 in Gongzhuling, rent included.

Karachi $754
Gongzhuling $946

A family of three spends $1,025 per month in Karachi vs $1,300 in Gongzhuling, rent included.

Karachi $1,025
Gongzhuling $1,300

Karachi is about 18% cheaper than Gongzhuling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karachi and Gongzhuling are more affordable than the global median – Karachi 64% lower, Gongzhuling 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$2.11 ¥14.13

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$16.27 ¥109

-15.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$4.57 ¥30.56

21.01%

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

$2.14 PKR 593

$1.99 ¥13.32

7.54%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.47 ¥3.12

-14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.21 ¥1.40

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 ¥4.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.15

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.38 ¥9.22

-34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$2.18 ¥14.57

-74.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.06 ¥7.10

13.21%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.02 ¥6.84

22.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$7.30 ¥48.79

-18.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$3.68 ¥24.63

-13.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$9.21 ¥61.6

-29.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$0.58 ¥3.89

113.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.64 ¥4.28

-17.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$0.54 ¥3.62

90.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.46 ¥3.10

10.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.46 ¥3.09

-32.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.51 ¥3.40

-39.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.47 ¥3.12

-12.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.62 ¥4.12

-29.03%

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)

$1.83 PKR 508

$3.60 ¥24.08

-49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 ¥69.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ¥7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.31 ¥2.09

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$17.60 ¥118

-44.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.14 ¥7.60

-23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.36 ¥2.38

105.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$2.71 ¥18.09

-17.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.30 ¥8.70

6.15%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$19.7K ¥131.8K

-6.93%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$16.2K ¥108.2K

63.34%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$28.24 ¥189

301.13%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$6.14 ¥41.02

-0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$10.25 ¥68.5

27.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$41.33 ¥276

-47.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$14.83 ¥99.2

23.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$5.26 ¥35.17

-19.01%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$397 ¥2,655

-86.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$11.6K ¥77.8K

-83.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$16.46 ¥110

6.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$22.60 ¥151

1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$59.1 ¥395

15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$44.33 ¥296

-6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$301 ¥2,012

-60.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$185 ¥1,237

-60.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$636 ¥4,251

-43.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$371 ¥2,481

-49.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$3,483 ¥23.3K

-68.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$1,937 ¥12.9K

-75.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

$336 ¥2,246

-45.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

3.5

277.43%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gongzhuling: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Gongzhuling

$45 7.5% 66.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Gongzhuling

$161 27.2% 57.6% $59

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Gongzhuling

$185 31.2% 153% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Gongzhuling

$64 10.8% 5.1% $3.4

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Gongzhuling

$64 10.8% 3.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Gongzhuling

$52 8.8% 71.1% $22

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Gongzhuling

$22 3.7% 40.6% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $118 in Karachi versus $300 in Gongzhuling. 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 87% higher in Gongzhuling, 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 $14.00 in Karachi versus $16.00 in Gongzhuling. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $160 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇨🇳 Gongzhuling

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

3 h ahead of Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

862,313

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Karachi Gongzhuling 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
Gongzhuling

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 Gongzhuling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gongzhuling is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $725 per month in Karachi and $887 in Gongzhuling. 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 $52.1 per month in Karachi and $400 in Gongzhuling. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Gongzhuling, 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 $483 in Karachi and $591 in Gongzhuling, 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, Gongzhuling makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.