Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shijiazhuang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $678 in Shijiazhuang, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $482 in Karachi.

Shijiazhuang $678
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Shijiazhuang versus $750 in Karachi.

Shijiazhuang $1,015
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,353 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Shijiazhuang $1,353
Karachi $1,018

Living in Shijiazhuang is roughly 41% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shijiazhuang 50% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.78 ¥11.90

$2.13 PKR 588

-16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.80 ¥126

$13.30 PKR 3,679

41.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 ¥36.50

$5.45 PKR 1,507

0.18%

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

$3.22 ¥21.51

$2.09 PKR 579

54.07%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.40 PKR 111

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$0.26 PKR 71.1

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 ¥5.34

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.35

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.86

$0.92 PKR 254

43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.56 PKR 156

103.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$1.25 PKR 345

-44.00%

Eggs

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.09 ¥108

$5.67 PKR 1,570

183.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ¥18.46

$3.16 PKR 875

-12.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 ¥63.0

$6.28 PKR 1,737

50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.90

$1.26 PKR 348

29.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$0.53 PKR 147

133.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.00 PKR 276

-23.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$0.56 PKR 154

117.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.33 PKR 91.4

78.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.34 PKR 95.1

70.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$0.42 PKR 116

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.44 PKR 121

4.55%

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)

$3.81 ¥25.46

$1.84 PKR 509

107.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.68 ¥24.64

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 PKR 77.0

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥119

$9.99 PKR 2,764

77.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$0.92 PKR 256

27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$0.70 PKR 193

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ¥23.36

$2.16 PKR 597

61.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.29

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.14%

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

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

10.09%

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

$17.0K ¥113.9K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-37.13%

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

$93.9 ¥628

$113 PKR 31.4K

-17.22%

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

$4.40 ¥29.45

$5.95 PKR 1,647

-26.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.63 ¥44.35

$13.16 PKR 3,641

-49.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.96 ¥93.4

$21.55 PKR 5,963

-35.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$18.23 PKR 5,043

-19.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 ¥36.93

$4.21 PKR 1,165

31.12%

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

$377 ¥2,519

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

622.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,226 ¥35.0K

$1,940 PKR 536.9K

169.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.51 ¥331

$17.55 PKR 4,857

182.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.52 ¥177

$23.51 PKR 6,504

12.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ¥505

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ¥366

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

34.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ¥2,019

$118 PKR 32.6K

155.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,222

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

148.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ¥2,729

$357 PKR 98.9K

14.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,848

$188 PKR 52.0K

47.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,499 ¥16.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.3K

135.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,670 ¥11.2K

$481 PKR 133.0K

247.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 ¥5,357

$183 PKR 50.6K

337.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

13.21

-74.94%

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

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shijiazhuang

$183 27%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 59.7% $109

Groceries & Markets

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2%

Karachi

$101 21% 40.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 26.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 27% $25

Eating Out

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 23.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 19.8% $5

Getting Around

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 29.3% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $302 in Shijiazhuang and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shijiazhuang pays 338% 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: $19.00 in Shijiazhuang vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

3 h behind Shijiazhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,235,086

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

Shijiazhuang Karachi 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shijiazhuang
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

Shijiazhuang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang and Karachi differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($678 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 338% higher in Shijiazhuang, 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: $302 in Shijiazhuang versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $678 per month in Shijiazhuang versus $482 in Karachi – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 78% less than in Shijiazhuang. 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 41% less than in Shijiazhuang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.