Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiangtan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $490 a month against $707 in Xiangtan, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xiangtan
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Xiangtan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Xiangtan

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in Xiangtan versus $490 in Karachi.

Xiangtan $707
Karachi $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Xiangtan versus $755 in Karachi.

Xiangtan $1,119
Karachi $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,531 in Xiangtan versus $1,019 in Karachi.

Xiangtan $1,531
Karachi $1,019

Living in Xiangtan 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: Xiangtan 47% lower, Karachi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.82 ¥18.84

$2.15 PKR 595

31.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.94 ¥147

$13.37 PKR 3,699

64.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥32.89

$5.29 PKR 1,464

-6.99%

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

$2.98 ¥19.90

$2.11 PKR 583

41.23%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.37 PKR 103

18.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 PKR 78.2

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.28

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥13.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$0.86 PKR 238

106.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$0.52 PKR 144

196.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.04

$1.24 PKR 344

-27.42%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.59

$1.24 PKR 342

28.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.2

$5.86 PKR 1,621

120.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 ¥21.76

$3.12 PKR 862

4.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ¥68.4

$6.25 PKR 1,730

63.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$1.29 PKR 356

39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$0.54 PKR 150

131.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$0.99 PKR 273

53.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$0.56 PKR 155

105.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.33 PKR 91.6

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$0.35 PKR 95.8

168.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥4.02

$0.45 PKR 124

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.44 PKR 121

22.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.23 PKR 341

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PKR 380

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ¥20.99

$1.79 PKR 497

75.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 ¥70.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥5.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 PKR 76.5

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.93 ¥113

$9.68 PKR 2,679

74.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$0.92 PKR 255

53.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$0.71 PKR 196

-54.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ¥44.30

$2.22 PKR 615

198.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.35 PKR 372

-12.59%

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

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

9.42%

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

$16.9K ¥113.1K

$26.7K PKR 7.4M

-36.70%

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

$44.88 ¥300

$112 PKR 30.9K

-59.86%

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

$10.05 ¥67.2

$6.05 PKR 1,673

66.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.93 ¥79.7

$13.29 PKR 3,678

-10.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 ¥274

$21.51 PKR 5,953

90.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.70 ¥91.6

$17.80 PKR 4,926

-23.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.21

$4.42 PKR 1,222

32.81%

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

$337 ¥2,253

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

564.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.2K

$1,957 PKR 541.5K

773.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.90 ¥293

$17.57 PKR 4,861

149.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.68 ¥205

$22.78 PKR 6,302

34.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ¥471

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$40.97 PKR 11.3K

77.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,833

$117 PKR 32.4K

133.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,286

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

154.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,936

$365 PKR 101.0K

61.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,381

$182 PKR 50.5K

95.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,066 ¥20.5K

$1,054 PKR 291.5K

190.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,049 ¥13.7K

$491 PKR 135.8K

317.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 PKR 51.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

13.21

-70.55%

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

Last update for Xiangtan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xiangtan

$198 27.8%

Karachi

$101 20.9% 49.1% $97

Accommodation & Living

Xiangtan

$192 27%

Karachi

$76 15.7% 60.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Xiangtan

$98 13.7%

Karachi

$67 13.9% 31.6% $31

Eating Out

Xiangtan

$85 11.9%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 27.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiangtan

$67 9.4%

Karachi

$131 27.3% 96.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Xiangtan

$53 7.4%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 42.4% $22

Getting Around

Xiangtan

$21 3%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 27.6% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Xiangtan and $117 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Xiangtan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiangtan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

3 h behind Xiangtan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,748,552

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 = 3.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 13, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Xiangtan Karachi 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiangtan
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

Xiangtan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xiangtan and Karachi differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($707 vs $490 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,061 in Xiangtan and $735 in Karachi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $274 in Xiangtan versus $117 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $707 per month in Xiangtan versus $490 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 75% less than in Xiangtan. 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.

Safety-wise, Xiangtan and Karachi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Xiangtan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.