Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $700 in Zhongshan, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Zhongshan despite lower rent and utilities.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $700 in Zhongshan versus $482 in Karachi.

Zhongshan $700
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,110 in Zhongshan versus $750 in Karachi.

Zhongshan $1,110
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,521 in Zhongshan versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Zhongshan $1,521
Karachi $1,018

Living in Zhongshan is roughly 45% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhongshan 48% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.45

$2.13 PKR 588

36.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥162

$13.30 PKR 3,681

81.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ¥29.84

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-17.98%

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

$2.81 ¥18.78

$2.09 PKR 580

34.45%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.40 PKR 111

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.26 PKR 71.1

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.13

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$0.92 PKR 254

68.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$0.56 PKR 156

183.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.30

$1.25 PKR 345

-48.80%

Eggs

$1.20 ¥7.99

$1.23 PKR 342

-2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 ¥139

$5.67 PKR 1,571

266.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ¥18.61

$3.16 PKR 876

-11.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

$6.28 PKR 1,737

115.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.64

$1.26 PKR 348

61.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.53 PKR 148

94.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.59

$1.00 PKR 276

-31.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$0.56 PKR 154

153.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.33 PKR 91.4

60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$0.34 PKR 95.1

129.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.42 PKR 116

2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$0.44 PKR 121

22.73%

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 671

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.77

$1.84 PKR 509

60.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 ¥80.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥11.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.28 PKR 77.1

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.18 ¥101

$9.99 PKR 2,765

51.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.87

$0.92 PKR 256

60.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.78

$0.70 PKR 193

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ¥47.54

$2.16 PKR 597

229.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$1.38 PKR 382

-6.52%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

6.96%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-33.36%

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

$41.21 ¥275

$113 PKR 31.4K

-63.68%

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

$9.85 ¥65.8

$5.95 PKR 1,648

65.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$13.16 PKR 3,643

-3.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 ¥453

$21.55 PKR 5,966

214.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 ¥48.96

$18.23 PKR 5,045

-59.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ¥40.38

$4.21 PKR 1,165

43.47%

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

$324 ¥2,162

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

520.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$1,940 PKR 537.1K

600.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 ¥329

$17.55 PKR 4,859

180.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 ¥270

$23.51 PKR 6,507

71.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥400

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥508

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

87.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,390

$118 PKR 32.7K

76.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥864

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

75.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,481

$357 PKR 99.0K

3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,436

$188 PKR 52.0K

14.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 ¥16.3K

$1,060 PKR 293.5K

130.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$481 PKR 133.1K

215.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,390

$183 PKR 50.6K

422.85%

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 Zhongshan: 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

Zhongshan

$224 32.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 54.8% $123

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.5%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 43% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 33.3% $34

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$81 11.6%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 24.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.4%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 62.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 108% $69

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 22% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Zhongshan and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongshan pays 423% 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 Zhongshan vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

3 h behind Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 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 →

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Between locations

Zhongshan Karachi 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongshan and Karachi differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($700 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 423% higher in Zhongshan, 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: $208 in Zhongshan versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $700 per month in Zhongshan versus $482 in Karachi – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 52% less than in Zhongshan. 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 45% less than in Zhongshan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.