Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abbottabad and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Abbottabad: $316 a month against $608 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Abbottabad
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Abbottabad Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Abbottabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$316

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abbottabad and in Islamabad

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abbottabad and in Islamabad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $316 per month in Abbottabad vs $608 in Islamabad, rent included.

Abbottabad $316
Islamabad $608

A couple spends around $472 per month in Abbottabad vs $950 in Islamabad, rent included.

Abbottabad $472
Islamabad $950

A family of three spends $628 per month in Abbottabad vs $1,292 in Islamabad, rent included.

Abbottabad $628
Islamabad $1,292

Abbottabad is about 48% cheaper than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Abbottabad and Islamabad are more affordable than the global median – Abbottabad 77% lower, Islamabad 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 508

$3.57 PKR 987

-48.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.13 PKR 2,527

$24.14 PKR 6,679

-62.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$5.37 PKR 1,484

0.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 PKR 611

$3.73 PKR 1,031

-40.75%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 PKR 487

$7.04 PKR 1,949

-75.00%

Cappuccino

$1.22 PKR 336

$2.67 PKR 739

-54.31%

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

$0.34 PKR 95.3

$0.35 PKR 95.7

-2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 PKR 52.1

$0.24 PKR 66.6

-20.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 PKR 227

$0.99 PKR 273

-17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 PKR 266

$0.74 PKR 203

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 PKR 303

$1.29 PKR 358

-15.50%

Eggs

$1.19 PKR 328

$1.32 PKR 366

-9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.62 PKR 1,001

$5.97 PKR 1,653

-39.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.36 PKR 654

$3.03 PKR 838

-22.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.91 PKR 1,635

$5.52 PKR 1,528

7.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 304

$1.35 PKR 374

-18.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 PKR 248

$0.86 PKR 239

4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 PKR 224

$1.04 PKR 287

-22.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.55 PKR 151

-21.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 PKR 66.0

$0.30 PKR 83.4

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.40 PKR 110

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 PKR 157

$0.28 PKR 77.1

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 PKR 82.2

$0.43 PKR 118

-30.23%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.78 PKR 1,323

$2.00 PKR 552

139.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 208

$1.25 PKR 347

-40.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 209

$2.64 PKR 729

-71.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 PKR 446

$2.36 PKR 652

-31.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.5

$0.17 PKR 46.20

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.61 PKR 5,978

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.28 PKR 355

-17.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 96.6

$0.70 PKR 194

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 PKR 409

$1.65 PKR 456

-10.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 328

$1.33 PKR 369

-11.28%

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

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

$54.3K PKR 15.0M

-60.26%

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

$23.3K PKR 6.5M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

0.84%

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

$54.7 PKR 15.1K

$103 PKR 28.5K

-46.82%

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

$3.52 PKR 974

$6.17 PKR 1,707

-42.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.70 PKR 3,514

$17.36 PKR 4,802

-26.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.07 PKR 2,508

$33.65 PKR 9,309

-73.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.62 PKR 2,384

Cinema Ticket

$2.01 PKR 555

$4.97 PKR 1,376

-59.56%

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

$26.97 PKR 7,462

$326 PKR 90.2K

-91.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$530 PKR 146.7K

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

-97.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.06 PKR 1,954

$25.82 PKR 7,143

-72.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.18 PKR 1,985

$34.52 PKR 9,549

-79.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.6 PKR 14.3K

$95.6 PKR 26.5K

-46.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$10.73 PKR 2,968

$41.07 PKR 11.4K

-73.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$81.9 PKR 22.6K

$248 PKR 68.5K

-66.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.7 PKR 15.4K

$139 PKR 38.5K

-60.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$162 PKR 44.7K

$549 PKR 151.8K

-70.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.6 PKR 23.1K

$280 PKR 77.5K

-70.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,655 PKR 457.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 PKR 228.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 PKR 52.9K

$384 PKR 106.1K

-50.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

-15.90%

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

Last update for Abbottabad: November 3, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Abbottabad

$91 28.8%

Islamabad

$104 17.1% 14.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abbottabad

$71 22.4%

Islamabad

$126 20.8% 78.2% $55

Accommodation & Living

Abbottabad

$56 17.6%

Islamabad

$139 22.9% 150% $84

Eating Out

Abbottabad

$48 15.1%

Islamabad

$79 13% 66% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Abbottabad

$34 10.9%

Islamabad

$89 14.6% 157% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Abbottabad

$13 4.1%

Islamabad

$44 7.2% 233% $31

Getting Around

Abbottabad

$3.6 * 1.1%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 652% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $82 in Abbottabad versus $248 in Islamabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Islamabad are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Abbottabad versus $24 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $91 vs $104 – making Abbottabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Abbottabad

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

Same time as Abbottabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,491

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Abbottabad Islamabad 52 km

From you

Abbottabad
Islamabad

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

Abbottabad vs Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islamabad costs about 92% more than Abbottabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $475 per month in Abbottabad and $912 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abbottabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $248 in Islamabad.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Abbottabad and $24 in Islamabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Islamabad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $316 in Abbottabad and $608 in Islamabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Abbottabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Abbottabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Islamabad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.