Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xi'an and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $733 in Xi'an, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $733 in Xi'an versus $490 in Karachi.

Xi'an $733
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,128 in Xi'an versus $755 in Karachi.

Xi'an $1,128
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,523 in Xi'an versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Xi'an $1,523
Karachi $1,019

Living in Xi'an is roughly 50% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xi'an 45% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.72 ¥18.15

$2.15 PKR 596

26.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.21 ¥122

$13.37 PKR 3,700

36.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ¥30.41

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-13.99%

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

$2.16 ¥14.45

$2.11 PKR 583

2.37%

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

$0.41 ¥2.71

$0.37 PKR 103

10.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 PKR 78.2

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ¥10.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.13

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$0.86 PKR 238

70.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥11.48

$0.52 PKR 144

230.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.97

$1.24 PKR 344

-28.23%

Eggs

$1.46 ¥9.76

$1.24 PKR 342

17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 ¥77.8

$5.86 PKR 1,622

98.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ¥27.82

$3.12 PKR 862

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 ¥69.5

$6.25 PKR 1,731

66.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.29 PKR 356

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.75

$0.54 PKR 150

114.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$0.99 PKR 273

30.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.82

$0.56 PKR 155

135.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$0.33 PKR 91.6

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$0.35 PKR 95.9

108.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.45 PKR 124

35.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.44 PKR 121

31.82%

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)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$1.79 PKR 497

93.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 ¥66.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.28 PKR 76.5

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.12 ¥175

$9.68 PKR 2,679

169.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$0.92 PKR 255

39.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.71 PKR 196

-56.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 ¥30.13

$2.22 PKR 615

103.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.99

$1.35 PKR 372

-0.74%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

7.17%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-34.25%

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

$89.4 ¥597

$112 PKR 30.9K

-20.07%

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

$6.09 ¥40.72

$6.05 PKR 1,673

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.78 ¥72.1

$13.29 PKR 3,679

-18.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.01 ¥201

$21.51 PKR 5,954

39.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.10 ¥141

$17.80 PKR 4,927

18.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ¥39.82

$4.42 PKR 1,222

34.84%

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

$692 ¥4,626

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

1264.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$1,957 PKR 541.6K

792.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.93 ¥260

$17.57 PKR 4,862

121.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.83 ¥246

$22.78 PKR 6,304

61.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥496

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

9.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ¥618

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

125.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,071

$117 PKR 32.5K

164.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,190

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

135.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 ¥5,876

$365 PKR 101.1K

140.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥2,341

$182 PKR 50.5K

92.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,369 ¥15.8K

$1,054 PKR 291.6K

124.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,647 ¥11.0K

$491 PKR 135.8K

235.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,069 ¥7,141

$185 PKR 51.2K

477.97%

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 Xi'an: October 4, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xi'an

$195 26.6%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 48.4% $95

Accommodation & Living

Xi'an

$178 24.2%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 57.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Xi'an

$109 14.8%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 38.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xi'an

$106 14.5%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 23.4% $25

Eating Out

Xi'an

$75 10.2%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 18.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Xi'an

$42 5.7%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 27.6% $12

Getting Around

Xi'an

$30 4.1%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 49.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $310 in Xi'an and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xi'an pays 478% 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: $18.00 in Xi'an vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

3 h behind Xi'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,183,280

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

Xi'an Karachi 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Xi'an
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

Xi'an vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xi'an and Karachi differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($733 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 478% higher in Xi'an, 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: $310 in Xi'an versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $733 per month in Xi'an versus $490 in Karachi – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 170% less than in Xi'an. 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 50% less than in Xi'an. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.