Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xianyang and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $618 in Xianyang, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
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Xianyang Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$618

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $618 in Xianyang versus $482 in Karachi.

Xianyang $618
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $996 in Xianyang versus $750 in Karachi.

Xianyang $996
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,375 in Xianyang versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Xianyang $1,375
Karachi $1,018

Living in Xianyang is roughly 28% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xianyang 54% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 ¥14.66

$2.13 PKR 588

2.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.22 ¥115

$13.30 PKR 3,680

29.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥30.08

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-17.43%

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

$2.17 ¥14.48

$2.09 PKR 579

3.83%

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

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.40 PKR 111

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.26 PKR 71.1

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$0.92 PKR 254

59.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$0.56 PKR 156

91.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.11

$1.25 PKR 345

-39.20%

Eggs

$1.43 ¥9.58

$1.23 PKR 341

16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 ¥64.1

$5.67 PKR 1,570

68.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$3.16 PKR 876

-42.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 ¥49.87

$6.28 PKR 1,737

18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.26 PKR 348

-3.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.53 PKR 148

96.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.00 PKR 276

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$0.56 PKR 154

3.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.33 PKR 91.4

39.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.34 PKR 95.1

82.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.42 PKR 116

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.44 PKR 121

34.09%

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)

$2.95 ¥19.73

$1.84 PKR 509

60.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.44 ¥49.76

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 PKR 77.0

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.94 ¥107

$9.99 PKR 2,764

59.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$0.92 PKR 256

41.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.70 PKR 193

-58.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ¥30.35

$2.16 PKR 597

110.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.38 PKR 382

-9.42%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

6.74%

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

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-56.57%

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

$37.14 ¥248

$113 PKR 31.4K

-67.26%

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

$6.13 ¥41.02

$5.95 PKR 1,648

3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ¥70.1

$13.16 PKR 3,642

-20.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.04 ¥281

$21.55 PKR 5,965

95.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$18.23 PKR 5,044

-19.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 ¥39.50

$4.21 PKR 1,165

40.38%

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

$335 ¥2,239

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

542.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.7K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

660.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.41 ¥257

$17.55 PKR 4,858

118.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.55 ¥251

$23.51 PKR 6,506

59.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 ¥502

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

8.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 ¥408

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

50.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ¥2,018

$118 PKR 32.7K

155.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,206

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

144.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ¥4,235

$357 PKR 98.9K

77.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$188 PKR 52.0K

103.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,529 ¥23.6K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

232.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$732 ¥4,896

$481 PKR 133.1K

52.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$600 ¥4,010

$183 PKR 50.6K

227.88%

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 Xianyang: 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

Xianyang

$180 29.2%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 59.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Xianyang

$148 23.9%

Karachi

$101 21% 31.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Xianyang

$95 15.4%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 29% $28

Eating Out

Xianyang

$67 10.8%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 8.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Xianyang

$54 8.7%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 44.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xianyang

$54 8.7%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 147% $79

Getting Around

Xianyang

$20 3.2%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 22.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

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

Xianyang pays 228% 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: $17.00 in Xianyang vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

3 h behind Xianyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,324,612

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Xianyang Karachi 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Xianyang vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xianyang and Karachi differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($618 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 228% higher in Xianyang, 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 Xianyang versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $618 per month in Xianyang versus $482 in Karachi – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 60% less than in Xianyang. 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 28% less than in Xianyang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.