Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mianyang, Sichuan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
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Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$646

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $482 in Karachi.

Mianyang, Sichuan $646
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $998 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $750 in Karachi.

Mianyang, Sichuan $998
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,350 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Mianyang, Sichuan $1,350
Karachi $1,018

Living in Mianyang, Sichuan is roughly 34% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mianyang, Sichuan 52% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.51

$2.13 PKR 588

37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 ¥119

$13.30 PKR 3,678

33.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.70

$5.45 PKR 1,507

-10.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 PKR 2,004

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.86

$2.09 PKR 579

42.11%

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

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.40 PKR 111

7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.26 PKR 71.1

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.09

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$0.92 PKR 254

65.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$0.56 PKR 156

176.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$1.25 PKR 345

-20.80%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.83

$1.23 PKR 341

31.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 ¥97.3

$5.67 PKR 1,569

156.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.42

$3.16 PKR 875

15.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 ¥73.2

$6.28 PKR 1,736

74.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.93

$1.26 PKR 348

42.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$0.53 PKR 147

147.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.07

$1.00 PKR 276

6.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$0.56 PKR 154

105.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.33 PKR 91.3

115.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$0.34 PKR 95.1

111.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.42 PKR 116

38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.44 PKR 121

31.82%

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)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$1.84 PKR 509

101.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.56 ¥30.46

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ¥8.68

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.28 PKR 77.0

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.99 PKR 2,763

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$0.92 PKR 256

16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$0.70 PKR 193

-62.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 ¥30.57

$2.16 PKR 596

112.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.38 PKR 382

-9.42%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

9.69%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-35.73%

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

$47.71 ¥319

$113 PKR 31.4K

-57.95%

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

$6.41 ¥42.80

$5.95 PKR 1,647

7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$13.16 PKR 3,640

-4.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.89 ¥120

$21.55 PKR 5,962

-16.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,041

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ¥38.89

$4.21 PKR 1,164

38.24%

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

$366 ¥2,446

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

602.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.9K

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

663.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.80 ¥166

$17.55 PKR 4,855

41.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.86 ¥186

$23.51 PKR 6,502

18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.0 ¥388

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥356

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,508

$118 PKR 32.6K

91.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,291

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

162.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,747

$357 PKR 98.9K

15.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,226

$188 PKR 52.0K

77.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ¥18.1K

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

155.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,816 ¥12.1K

$481 PKR 133.0K

277.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$732 ¥4,890

$183 PKR 50.6K

300.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

13.21

-76.53%

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

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mianyang, Sichuan

$193 29.9%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 61.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6%

Karachi

$101 21% 47.1% $90

Eating Out

Mianyang, Sichuan

$88 13.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 30.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mianyang, Sichuan

$74 11.4%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 8.2% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.3%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 99% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 1.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.5 * 0.5%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 342% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mianyang, Sichuan pays 300% 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: $18.00 in Mianyang, Sichuan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

3 h behind Mianyang, Sichuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,868,243

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 = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mianyang, Sichuan Karachi 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mianyang, Sichuan
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

Mianyang, Sichuan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mianyang, Sichuan and Karachi differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($646 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 300% higher in Mianyang, Sichuan, 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: $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Mianyang, Sichuan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $646 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $482 in Karachi – a 34% 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 34% less than in Mianyang, Sichuan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.