Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $1,134 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $490 in Karachi.

Shenzhen $1,134
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,734 in Shenzhen versus $755 in Karachi.

Shenzhen $1,734
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,333 in Shenzhen versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Shenzhen $2,333
Karachi $1,019

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 132% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 15% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 ¥24.33

$2.15 PKR 596

69.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.70 ¥199

$13.37 PKR 3,700

122.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.18

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-3.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 PKR 2,005

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥21.47

$2.11 PKR 583

52.13%

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

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.37 PKR 103

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.28 PKR 78.2

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥14.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$0.86 PKR 238

80.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$0.52 PKR 144

215.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.29

$1.24 PKR 344

-12.10%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.24 PKR 342

41.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.95 ¥140

$5.86 PKR 1,622

257.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ¥22.62

$3.12 PKR 862

8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥96.1

$6.25 PKR 1,731

130.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.47

$1.29 PKR 356

79.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$0.54 PKR 150

196.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$0.99 PKR 273

90.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.44

$0.56 PKR 155

151.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$0.33 PKR 91.6

224.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$0.35 PKR 95.9

254.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.45 PKR 124

31.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.44 PKR 121

34.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 381

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 ¥30.35

$1.79 PKR 497

153.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ¥79.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.28 PKR 76.5

110.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 ¥147

$9.68 PKR 2,679

126.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$0.92 PKR 255

58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.71 PKR 196

-46.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.67

$2.22 PKR 615

221.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$1.35 PKR 372

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

8.45%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-30.52%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$112 PKR 30.9K

-42.94%

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

$10.04 ¥67.1

$6.05 PKR 1,673

65.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.28 ¥109

$13.29 PKR 3,679

22.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ¥336

$21.51 PKR 5,954

133.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 ¥114

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-4.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.63

$4.42 PKR 1,222

64.71%

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

$523 ¥3,496

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

931.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K ¥159.1K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

1116.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥368

$17.57 PKR 4,862

213.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 ¥271

$22.78 PKR 6,304

77.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥617

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

125.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,103

$117 PKR 32.5K

551.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 ¥3,238

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

539.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ¥13.0K

$365 PKR 101.1K

431.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ¥5,650

$182 PKR 50.5K

363.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.0K ¥93.7K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

1230.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 ¥41.0K

$491 PKR 135.8K

1150.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,693 ¥11.3K

$185 PKR 51.2K

815.96%

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 Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$484 42.8%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 84.4% $409

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 59.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 42.7% $50

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$99 8.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 38.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 45.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 53.2% $34

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.4%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 44.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Shenzhen and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 816% 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: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

3 h behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

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 = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shenzhen Karachi 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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

Shenzhen vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Karachi differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($1,134 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 816% higher in Shenzhen, 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: $764 in Shenzhen versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,134 per month in Shenzhen versus $490 in Karachi – a 132% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 127% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $490 in Karachi versus $1,134 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karachi but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Karachi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 132% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.