Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $692 in Shantou, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Shantou versus $482 in Karachi.

Shantou $692
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Shantou versus $750 in Karachi.

Shantou $1,104
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Shantou versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Shantou $1,516
Karachi $1,018

Living in Shantou is roughly 44% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shantou 49% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$2.13 PKR 588

7.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$13.30 PKR 3,679

78.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$5.45 PKR 1,507

-5.14%

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

$3.38 ¥22.63

$2.09 PKR 579

61.72%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.40 PKR 111

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.26 PKR 71.1

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$0.92 PKR 254

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$0.56 PKR 156

158.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.25 PKR 345

-38.40%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$1.23 PKR 341

37.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$5.67 PKR 1,570

140.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$3.16 PKR 875

8.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$6.28 PKR 1,737

109.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.26 PKR 348

54.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$0.53 PKR 147

183.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$1.00 PKR 276

81.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$0.56 PKR 154

132.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$0.33 PKR 91.4

148.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$0.34 PKR 95.1

211.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.42 PKR 116

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.44 PKR 121

-2.27%

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)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$1.84 PKR 509

100.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.28 PKR 77.0

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$9.99 PKR 2,764

142.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$0.92 PKR 256

66.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.70 PKR 193

-45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$2.16 PKR 597

238.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.87%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

10.59%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-33.47%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$113 PKR 31.4K

-50.06%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$5.95 PKR 1,647

49.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$13.16 PKR 3,641

5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 PKR 5,963

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 PKR 5,043

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$4.21 PKR 1,165

79.10%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

936.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$1,940 PKR 536.9K

1149.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$17.55 PKR 4,857

216.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$23.51 PKR 6,504

68.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

6.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

125.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$118 PKR 32.6K

152.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

105.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$357 PKR 98.9K

68.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$188 PKR 52.0K

56.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$1,060 PKR 293.3K

114.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$481 PKR 133.0K

829.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$183 PKR 50.6K

480.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

13.21

-74.64%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Karachi

$101 21% 52.8% $113

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 51.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 42.1% $49

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 29.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 67% $53

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 46.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 98.6% $15

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 $298 in Shantou and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shantou pays 480% 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: $24.00 in Shantou vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

3 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.23 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Karachi 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shantou and Karachi differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($692 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 480% higher in Shantou, 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: $298 in Shantou versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $692 per month in Shantou versus $482 in Karachi – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 143% less than in Shantou. 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 44% less than in Shantou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.