Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiakou and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $776 in Zhangjiakou, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
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Zhangjiakou Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $482 in Karachi.

Zhangjiakou $776
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Zhangjiakou versus $750 in Karachi.

Zhangjiakou $1,216
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,656 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Zhangjiakou $1,656
Karachi $1,018

Living in Zhangjiakou is roughly 61% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhangjiakou 42% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.72

$2.13 PKR 588

3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.17 ¥161

$13.30 PKR 3,678

81.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 ¥40.41

$5.45 PKR 1,507

11.01%

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

$3.52 ¥23.50

$2.09 PKR 579

68.42%

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

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.40 PKR 111

27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.26 PKR 71.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.30

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥9.61

$0.92 PKR 254

56.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 ¥15.42

$0.56 PKR 156

312.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$1.25 PKR 345

-15.20%

Eggs

$1.02 ¥6.81

$1.23 PKR 341

-17.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 ¥99.0

$5.67 PKR 1,569

161.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$3.16 PKR 875

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 ¥62.6

$6.28 PKR 1,736

49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$1.26 PKR 348

28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.53 PKR 147

75.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.00 PKR 276

77.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.56 PKR 154

119.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.34

$0.33 PKR 91.3

142.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.34 PKR 95.1

70.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.42 PKR 116

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.79

$0.44 PKR 121

63.64%

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)

$3.84 ¥25.63

$1.84 PKR 509

108.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ¥90.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 ¥16.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 PKR 77.0

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.91 ¥120

$9.99 PKR 2,763

79.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ¥7.18

$0.92 PKR 256

16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$0.70 PKR 193

-54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.15 ¥41.07

$2.16 PKR 596

184.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.38 PKR 382

-12.32%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

9.75%

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

$17.5K ¥116.8K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-35.47%

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

$93.0 ¥622

$113 PKR 31.4K

-17.99%

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

$6.24 ¥41.69

$5.95 PKR 1,647

4.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.62 ¥50.9

$13.16 PKR 3,640

-42.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 ¥276

$21.55 PKR 5,962

91.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.92 ¥99.7

$18.23 PKR 5,041

-18.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ¥50.3

$4.21 PKR 1,164

78.86%

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

$342 ¥2,288

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

556.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,359 ¥35.8K

$1,940 PKR 536.7K

176.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.47 ¥297

$17.55 PKR 4,855

153.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.44 ¥190

$23.51 PKR 6,502

20.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 ¥659

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

43.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.5 ¥404

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥2,029

$118 PKR 32.6K

157.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ¥1,242

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

152.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 ¥4,175

$357 PKR 98.9K

74.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,470

$188 PKR 52.0K

96.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.5K

$1,060 PKR 293.2K

260.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,933 ¥12.9K

$481 PKR 133.0K

301.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$396 ¥2,643

$183 PKR 50.6K

116.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

13.21

-73.20%

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

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhangjiakou

$212 27.3%

Karachi

$101 21% 52.2% $111

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiakou

$186 23.9%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 60.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiakou

$107 13.8%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 24% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiakou

$104 13.5%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 35.1% $37

Eating Out

Zhangjiakou

$89 11.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 31.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiakou

$56 7.3%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 46.9% $26

Getting Around

Zhangjiakou

$22 2.8%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 29% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Zhangjiakou and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhangjiakou pays 116% 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: $24.00 in Zhangjiakou vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

3 h behind Zhangjiakou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,345,491

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 = 3.62 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 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

Zhangjiakou Karachi 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiakou
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

Zhangjiakou vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiakou and Karachi differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($776 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 116% higher in Zhangjiakou, 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: $304 in Zhangjiakou versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $776 per month in Zhangjiakou versus $482 in Karachi – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 79% less than in Zhangjiakou. 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 61% less than in Zhangjiakou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.