Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muzaffarabad and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Muzaffarabad: $385 a month against $682 in Shijiazhuang, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Muzaffarabad
Learn more

Muzaffarabad Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
Learn more

Shijiazhuang Living Index

Jump to prices

Muzaffarabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$385

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muzaffarabad and in Shijiazhuang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Muzaffarabad and in Shijiazhuang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $387 per month in Muzaffarabad vs $678 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Muzaffarabad $387
Shijiazhuang $678

A couple spends around $560 per month in Muzaffarabad vs $1,015 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Muzaffarabad $560
Shijiazhuang $1,015

A family of three spends $733 per month in Muzaffarabad vs $1,353 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Muzaffarabad $733
Shijiazhuang $1,353

Muzaffarabad is about 43% cheaper than Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Muzaffarabad and Shijiazhuang are more affordable than the global median – Muzaffarabad 71% lower, Shijiazhuang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 PKR 387

$1.76 ¥11.80

-20.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.97 PKR 2,482

$18.64 ¥125

-51.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.21 PKR 613

$5.68 ¥37.97

-61.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 PKR 406

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 PKR 822

Cappuccino

$1.06 PKR 293

$3.27 ¥21.89

-67.58%

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

$0.41 PKR 112

$0.48 ¥3.19

-14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.8

$0.27 ¥1.82

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.42

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 PKR 276

$1.26 ¥8.44

-20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 PKR 187

$1.16 ¥7.78

-41.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 PKR 261

$0.68 ¥4.53

38.24%

Eggs

$0.93 PKR 258

$1.29 ¥8.61

-27.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.58 PKR 991

$16.50 ¥110

-78.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.55 PKR 707

$2.63 ¥17.58

-3.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.28 PKR 908

$9.67 ¥64.7

-66.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$1.66 ¥11.10

-33.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.23 ¥8.24

-54.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.77 ¥5.17

-51.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 95.9

$1.19 ¥7.95

-70.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 96.7

$0.63 ¥4.21

-44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 77.5

$0.62 ¥4.16

-54.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 115

$0.68 ¥4.56

-38.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.0

$0.43 ¥2.88

-41.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.41 PKR 390

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 206

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PKR 193

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.87 PKR 241

$3.80 ¥25.39

-77.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.83 ¥25.58

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 52.7

$0.31 ¥2.08

-38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.03 PKR 2,776

$17.67 ¥118

-43.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 PKR 303

$1.23 ¥8.20

-11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.37 ¥2.50

97.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 PKR 389

$3.56 ¥23.81

-60.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 PKR 262

$1.24 ¥8.30

-23.39%

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

$22.3K PKR 6.2M

$19.7K ¥131.4K

13.34%

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

$25.6K PKR 7.1M

$17.3K ¥116.0K

47.63%

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

$118 PKR 32.5K

$95.2 ¥637

23.39%

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

$5.53 PKR 1,530

$4.40 ¥29.42

25.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 PKR 2,547

$6.60 ¥44.16

39.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.84 PKR 4,107

$13.69 ¥91.5

8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.20 PKR 2,269

$15.08 ¥101

-45.62%

Cinema Ticket

$2.05 PKR 567

$5.56 ¥37.19

-63.13%

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

$46.79 PKR 13.0K

$369 ¥2,467

-87.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,039 PKR 287.6K

$5,270 ¥35.2K

-80.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$5.46 PKR 1,512

$50.8 ¥339

-89.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.83 PKR 2,444

$26.12 ¥175

-66.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.77 PKR 13.8K

$74.6 ¥499

-33.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$10.63 PKR 2,942

$52.8 ¥353

-79.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 PKR 34.4K

$300 ¥2,006

-58.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 PKR 21.0K

$184 ¥1,231

-58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 PKR 70.8K

$419 ¥2,802

-38.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 PKR 40.5K

$279 ¥1,864

-47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$947 PKR 262.0K

$2,534 ¥16.9K

-62.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 PKR 133.7K

$1,709 ¥11.4K

-71.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$289 PKR 80.1K

$808 ¥5,400

-64.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

353.17%

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

Last update for Muzaffarabad: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muzaffarabad

$132 34.3%

Shijiazhuang

$106 15.6% 19.7% $26

Accommodation & Living

Muzaffarabad

$76 19.7%

Shijiazhuang

$184 27% 142% $108

Groceries & Markets

Muzaffarabad

$76 19.7%

Shijiazhuang

$172 25.3% 127% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Muzaffarabad

$34 8.7%

Shijiazhuang

$92 13.5% 174% $58

Eating Out

Muzaffarabad

$33 8.6%

Shijiazhuang

$81 11.8% 145% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Muzaffarabad

$19 4.9%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.6% 31% $5.9

Getting Around

Muzaffarabad

$16 4%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 41.6% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $129 in Muzaffarabad versus $302 in Shijiazhuang. 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 174% higher in Shijiazhuang, 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 $9.00 in Muzaffarabad versus $19.00 in Shijiazhuang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $75.0 vs $171 – making Muzaffarabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Muzaffarabad

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

3 h ahead of Muzaffarabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,913

11,235,086

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Muzaffarabad Shijiazhuang 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Muzaffarabad
Shijiazhuang

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

Muzaffarabad vs Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shijiazhuang is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $581 per month in Muzaffarabad and $1,017 in Shijiazhuang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Muzaffarabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 128% more in Shijiazhuang, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Muzaffarabad and $19.00 in Shijiazhuang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $387 in Muzaffarabad and $678 in Shijiazhuang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Muzaffarabad – 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 Muzaffarabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shijiazhuang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.