Cost of living comparison

Beijing, China

compared to

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 37.5% cheaper than Beijing.

Restaurants: pay 32.6% less in Islamabad
Groceries: pay 44.5% less in Islamabad
Transportation: pay 24.1% less in Islamabad
Housing: pay 5.6% less in Islamabad
Childcare: pay 89.2% less in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 27.2% less in Islamabad
Clothing: pay 39.6% less in Islamabad

Expenses including childcare, groceries, clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in Islamabad.

Islamabad vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Islamabad instead of Beijing, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 32.6% less for restaurants

	Beijing	Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.17 CN¥30.32	$1.79 PKR501.59	-57.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.57 CN¥40.43	$4.30 PKR1,203.83	-22.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 CN¥3.60	$0.35 PKR99.18	-28.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.31 CN¥2.25	$0.24 PKR67.82	-21.7%
Average			-32.6%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 44.5% less for groceries

	Beijing	Islamabad
Bread 1 loaf	$1.43 CN¥10.42	$0.68 PKR190.02	-52.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.31 CN¥53.08	$2.96 PKR829.49	-59.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.17 CN¥52.08	$3.31 PKR928.60	-53.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.74 CN¥12.63	$1.25 PKR350.32	-28.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.53 CN¥11.12	$1.64 PKR459.87	+7.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.92 CN¥6.66	$0.48 PKR135.15	-47.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.71 CN¥5.17	$0.38 PKR107.26	-46.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.89 CN¥6.44	$0.37 PKR104.12	-58.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 CN¥4.23	$0.26 PKR73.12	-55.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.37 CN¥2.68	$0.19 PKR52.85	-48.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.47 CN¥3.42	$0.25 PKR70.26	-46.8%
Average			-44.5%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of groceries

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pay 24.1% less for transportation

	Beijing	Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.36 CN¥31.67	$3.81 PKR1,066.70	-12.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$33.40 CN¥242.57	$6.80 PKR1,906.06	-79.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$20,872.18 CN¥151,607.16	$21,479.46 PKR6,019,126.70	+2.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.59 CN¥33.35	$4.27 PKR1,197.81	-6.9%
Average			-24.1%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of transportation

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pay 5.6% less for housing

	Beijing	Islamabad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$13.28 CN¥96.49	$18.16 PKR5,087.60	+36.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$929.88 CN¥6,754.26	$174.15 PKR48,802.14	-81.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$492.44 CN¥3,576.90	$99.01 PKR27,744.41	-79.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$42.04 CN¥305.36	$84.99 PKR23,815.54	+102.2%
Average			-5.6%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of housing

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pay 89.2% less for childcare

	Beijing	Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$763.49 CN¥5,545.72	$60.17 PKR16,861.27	-92.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$22,913.01 CN¥166,430.97	$3,142.14 PKR880,512.25	-86.3%
Average			-89.2%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of childcare

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pay 27.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Beijing	Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.11 CN¥8.09	$1.79 PKR501.59	+60.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.60 CN¥26.17	$1.97 PKR551.28	-45.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.48 CN¥25.27	$2.15 PKR601.91	-38.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$65.46 CN¥475.45	$23.01 PKR6,449.06	-64.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.35 CN¥60.64	$4.30 PKR1,203.83	-48.5%
Average			-27.2%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 39.6% less for clothing

	Beijing	Islamabad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$62.65 CN¥455.10	$19.06 PKR5,340.50	-69.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.69 CN¥251.95	$26.18 PKR7,335.81	-24.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$83.45 CN¥606.17	$83.29 PKR23,340.84	-0.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$107.64 CN¥781.83	$38.79 PKR10,870.79	-64.0%
Average			-39.6%

Beijing vs. Islamabad - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025

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