Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunming, Yunnan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $776 in Kunming, Yunnan, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Kunming, Yunnan
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Kunming, Yunnan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Kunming, Yunnan

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Kunming, Yunnan versus $482 in Karachi.

Kunming, Yunnan $776
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,220 in Kunming, Yunnan versus $750 in Karachi.

Kunming, Yunnan $1,220
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,665 in Kunming, Yunnan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Kunming, Yunnan $1,665
Karachi $1,018

Living in Kunming, Yunnan is roughly 61% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kunming, Yunnan 43% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.09

$2.13 PKR 588

6.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.23 ¥149

$13.30 PKR 3,680

67.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 ¥43.18

$5.45 PKR 1,508

18.53%

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

$2.87 ¥19.21

$2.09 PKR 579

37.32%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$0.40 PKR 111

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.26 PKR 71.1

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.57

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.84

$0.92 PKR 254

92.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$0.56 PKR 156

212.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.25 PKR 345

21.60%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.70

$1.23 PKR 341

30.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ¥48.95

$5.67 PKR 1,570

29.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 ¥30.16

$3.16 PKR 876

42.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.10 ¥80.9

$6.28 PKR 1,737

92.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$1.26 PKR 348

7.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$0.53 PKR 148

107.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$1.00 PKR 276

57.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.56 PKR 154

119.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.33 PKR 91.4

15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$0.34 PKR 95.1

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$0.42 PKR 116

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.26

$0.44 PKR 121

45.45%

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)

$2.94 ¥19.63

$1.84 PKR 509

59.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.63 ¥44.36

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.28 PKR 77.0

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.06 ¥201

$9.99 PKR 2,764

200.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.11

$0.92 PKR 256

64.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.70 PKR 193

-55.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.77 ¥98.7

$2.16 PKR 597

583.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.19

$1.38 PKR 382

-11.59%

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

$19.9K ¥132.9K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

11.04%

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

$17.7K ¥118.0K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-34.82%

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

$54.2 ¥362

$113 PKR 31.4K

-52.24%

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

$14.62 ¥97.7

$5.95 PKR 1,648

145.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.74 ¥119

$13.16 PKR 3,642

34.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.16 ¥282

$21.55 PKR 5,965

95.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.91 ¥173

$18.23 PKR 5,044

42.13%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.15

$4.21 PKR 1,165

38.95%

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

$360 ¥2,409

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

590.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K ¥91.6K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

605.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ¥472

$17.55 PKR 4,858

302.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 ¥357

$23.51 PKR 6,506

126.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 ¥509

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥741

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

173.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 ¥1,593

$118 PKR 32.7K

101.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,208

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

145.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥3,713

$357 PKR 98.9K

55.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ¥2,150

$188 PKR 52.0K

71.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,089 ¥20.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

191.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,284 ¥8,585

$481 PKR 133.1K

167.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$872 ¥5,832

$183 PKR 50.6K

376.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

13.21

-72.75%

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

Last update for Kunming, Yunnan: 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

Kunming, Yunnan

$192 24.7%

Karachi

$101 21% 47.2% $90

Accommodation & Living

Kunming, Yunnan

$181 23.3%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 59.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Kunming, Yunnan

$140 18%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 51.6% $72

Eating Out

Kunming, Yunnan

$87 11.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 29.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kunming, Yunnan

$87 11.2%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 53.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kunming, Yunnan

$54 7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 44.4% $24

Getting Around

Kunming, Yunnan

$36 4.7%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 57.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $238 in Kunming, Yunnan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kunming, Yunnan pays 377% 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: $22.00 in Kunming, Yunnan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Kunming, Yunnan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

3 h behind Kunming, Yunnan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,583,000

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Kunming, Yunnan Karachi 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kunming, Yunnan
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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

Kunming, Yunnan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kunming, Yunnan and Karachi differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($776 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 377% higher in Kunming, Yunnan, 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: $238 in Kunming, Yunnan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $776 per month in Kunming, Yunnan versus $482 in Karachi – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 201% less than in Kunming, Yunnan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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 61% less than in Kunming, Yunnan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.