Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhuhai and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $482 a month against $787 in Zhuhai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
Learn more

Zhuhai Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $787 in Zhuhai versus $482 in Karachi.

Zhuhai $787
Karachi $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,310 in Zhuhai versus $750 in Karachi.

Zhuhai $1,310
Karachi $750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,833 in Zhuhai versus $1,018 in Karachi.

Zhuhai $1,833
Karachi $1,018

Living in Zhuhai is roughly 63% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.31

$2.13 PKR 588

28.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.77 ¥199

$13.30 PKR 3,680

123.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.26

$5.45 PKR 1,508

-3.12%

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

$3.23 ¥21.58

$2.09 PKR 579

54.55%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$0.40 PKR 111

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.26 PKR 71.1

34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.46

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$0.92 PKR 254

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$0.56 PKR 156

130.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.25 PKR 345

-12.00%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.38

$1.23 PKR 341

38.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 ¥28.27

$5.67 PKR 1,570

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.34

$3.16 PKR 876

-27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.85 ¥25.68

$6.28 PKR 1,737

-38.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$1.26 PKR 348

3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.53 PKR 148

11.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.00 PKR 276

-53.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$0.56 PKR 154

166.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.08

$0.33 PKR 91.4

130.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.10

$0.34 PKR 95.1

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.42 PKR 116

-26.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.44 PKR 121

-2.27%

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 ¥19.68

$1.84 PKR 509

60.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.68 ¥24.57

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.14

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.87

$0.28 PKR 77.0

-53.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.07 ¥60.6

$9.99 PKR 2,764

-9.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$0.92 PKR 256

60.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.70 PKR 193

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 ¥48.27

$2.16 PKR 597

234.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.38 PKR 382

-10.87%

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

$15.5K ¥103.2K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

-13.66%

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

$13.7K ¥91.4K

$27.1K PKR 7.5M

-49.46%

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

$56.1 ¥375

$113 PKR 31.4K

-50.56%

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

$9.88 ¥66.0

$5.95 PKR 1,648

66.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.63 ¥111

$13.16 PKR 3,642

26.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 ¥546

$21.55 PKR 5,965

279.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.35 ¥209

$18.23 PKR 5,044

71.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ¥50.6

$4.21 PKR 1,165

80.05%

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

$521 ¥3,480

$52.2 PKR 14.4K

899.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K ¥159.4K

$1,940 PKR 537.0K

1130.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.35 ¥196

$17.55 PKR 4,858

67.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.57 ¥271

$23.51 PKR 6,506

72.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥479

$68.9 PKR 19.1K

4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ¥603

$40.59 PKR 11.2K

122.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ¥2,909

$118 PKR 32.7K

269.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,873

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

281.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ¥6,042

$357 PKR 98.9K

153.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 ¥4,377

$188 PKR 52.0K

248.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,597 ¥30.7K

$1,060 PKR 293.4K

333.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,882 ¥19.2K

$481 PKR 133.1K

499.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,045 ¥6,977

$183 PKR 50.6K

471.32%

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 Zhuhai: 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

Zhuhai

$280 35.7%

Karachi

$74 15.3% 73.8% $207

Groceries & Markets

Zhuhai

$119 15.1%

Karachi

$101 21% 14.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Zhuhai

$104 13.3%

Karachi

$68 14.1% 35.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Zhuhai

$97 12.3%

Karachi

$30 6.2% 69.1% $67

Eating Out

Zhuhai

$90 11.5%

Karachi

$61 12.7% 32.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhuhai

$83 10.5%

Karachi

$133 27.5% 60.5% $50

Getting Around

Zhuhai

$13 1.6%

Karachi

$16 3.2% 19.9% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $436 in Zhuhai and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhuhai pays 471% 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: $30.00 in Zhuhai vs $13.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $119 vs $101 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

3 h behind Zhuhai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,207,090

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zhuhai Karachi 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhuhai
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

Zhuhai vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhuhai and Karachi differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($787 vs $482 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 471% higher in Zhuhai, 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: $436 in Zhuhai versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $787 per month in Zhuhai versus $482 in Karachi – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 10% less than in Zhuhai. 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 63% less than in Zhuhai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.