Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $718 in Shenyang, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $718 in Shenyang versus $482 in Karachi.

Shenyang $718
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,071 in Shenyang versus $750 in Karachi.

Shenyang $1,071
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,424 in Shenyang versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Shenyang $1,424
Karachi $1,018

Living in Shenyang is roughly 49% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenyang 47% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.07

$2.13 PKR 588

40.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$13.30 PKR 3,680

67.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-6.79%

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

$2.46 ¥16.45

$2.09 PKR 579

17.70%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$0.40 PKR 111

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.26 PKR 71.1

46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.16

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$0.92 PKR 254

105.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ¥16.46

$0.56 PKR 156

339.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.25 PKR 345

-13.60%

Eggs

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.23 PKR 341

-16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.67 PKR 1,570

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 PKR 876

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.2

$6.28 PKR 1,737

90.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.91

$1.26 PKR 348

41.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$0.53 PKR 148

124.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 PKR 276

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.56 PKR 154

173.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.42 PKR 116

45.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$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)

$3.77 ¥25.17

$1.84 PKR 509

104.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 ¥111

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.28 PKR 77.0

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 ¥86.3

$9.99 PKR 2,764

29.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$0.92 PKR 256

46.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.70 PKR 193

-55.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.78

$2.16 PKR 597

37.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$1.38 PKR 382

-6.52%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

6.67%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-32.37%

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

$75.4 ¥504

$113 PKR 31.4K

-33.56%

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

$15.87 ¥106

$5.95 PKR 1,648

166.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$13.16 PKR 3,642

12.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.27 ¥149

$21.55 PKR 5,965

3.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 ¥72.1

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-40.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ¥40.75

$4.21 PKR 1,165

44.66%

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

$539 ¥3,606

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

934.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥142.1K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

995.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.49 ¥284

$17.55 PKR 4,858

142.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.51 PKR 6,506

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥398

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥465

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

71.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,850

$118 PKR 32.7K

134.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ¥1,619

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

228.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,734

$357 PKR 98.9K

56.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,625

$188 PKR 52.0K

108.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ¥15.2K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

114.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ¥8,745

$481 PKR 133.1K

172.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ¥7,454

$183 PKR 50.6K

509.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

13.21

-66.92%

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

Last update for Shenyang: 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

Shenyang

$242 33.7%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 69.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3%

Karachi

$101 21% 36.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$106 14.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 24.9% $26

Eating Out

Shenyang

$80 11.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 23.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 12.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 13% $4.5

Getting Around

Shenyang

$17 2.4%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 10.7% $1.9

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 $277 in Shenyang and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenyang pays 510% 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 Shenyang vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

3 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

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 18, 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 18, 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

Shenyang Karachi 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

Shenyang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenyang and Karachi differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($718 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 510% higher in Shenyang, 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: $277 in Shenyang versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $718 per month in Shenyang versus $482 in Karachi – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 29% less than in Shenyang. 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 49% less than in Shenyang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.