Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyan and Karachi

For one person, living costs are similar in Longyan and in Karachi: $462 and $483 a month, rent and utilities included.

22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$462

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $462 in Longyan versus $483 in Karachi.

Longyan $462
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Longyan versus $754 in Karachi.

Longyan $750
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,038 in Longyan versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Longyan $1,038
Karachi $1,025

Living in Longyan costs roughly 4% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Longyan 66% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ¥19.74

$2.11 PKR 585

39.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.57 ¥151

$13.73 PKR 3,801

64.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥33.19

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-10.31%

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

$2.20 ¥14.72

$2.14 PKR 593

2.80%

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

$0.44 ¥2.94

$0.40 PKR 111

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.68

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥13.90

$0.90 PKR 250

131.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$0.55 PKR 153

158.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.20 PKR 333

-35.00%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥9.90

$1.25 PKR 346

18.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 ¥51.0

$5.96 PKR 1,650

28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.18 ¥14.61

$3.19 PKR 883

-31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.99 ¥60.1

$6.48 PKR 1,793

38.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.63

$1.24 PKR 344

52.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$0.53 PKR 147

152.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.83

$1.03 PKR 284

71.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.48

$0.51 PKR 142

119.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.97

$0.31 PKR 85.1

187.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$0.31 PKR 87.1

225.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.41 PKR 113

4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.21

$0.44 PKR 120

9.09%

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)

$3.42 ¥22.85

$1.83 PKR 508

86.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 ¥7.89

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$0.87 PKR 240

21.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.74 PKR 204

-36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.57 ¥50.6

$2.23 PKR 617

239.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.38 PKR 383

-5.07%

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

$19.3K ¥129.1K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

5.21%

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

$15.6K ¥104.3K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-41.03%

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

$66.3 ¥443

$113 PKR 31.4K

-41.46%

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

$15.68 ¥105

$6.12 PKR 1,694

156.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.86 ¥59.3

$13.11 PKR 3,628

-32.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.40 ¥29.44

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-75.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 ¥50.9

$4.26 PKR 1,179

78.64%

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

$213 ¥1,425

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

309.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ¥78.4K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

503.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.86 ¥200

$17.53 PKR 4,852

70.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.92 ¥99.8

$22.88 PKR 6,332

-34.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥508

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

11.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ¥658

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

136.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,518

$360 PKR 99.6K

4.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,338 ¥8,949

$474 PKR 131.2K

182.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$485 ¥3,243

$182 PKR 50.4K

166.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.21

-73.81%

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

Last update for Longyan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Longyan

$178 38.5%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 42.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Longyan

$99 21.4%

Karachi

$68 14% 31.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyan

$91 19.7%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 45.8% $42

Eating Out

Longyan

$75 16.3%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 17.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Longyan

$15 * 3.3%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 99.1% $15

Getting Around

Longyan

$4 * 0.9%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 283% $11

Accommodation & Living

Longyan

- * 0%

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Longyan pays 166% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Longyan vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Longyan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

3 h behind Longyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,559,545

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 23, 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 23, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Longyan Karachi 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyan
Karachi

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

Longyan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Longyan and Karachi differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($462 vs $483 including rent). Longyan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 166% higher in Longyan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Karachi pay roughly 74% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $462 per month in Longyan versus $483 in Karachi – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Longyan 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 Longyan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.