Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abbottabad and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Abbottabad: $315 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Abbottabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$315

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abbottabad and in Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $315 per month in Abbottabad vs $500 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Abbottabad $315
Rawalpindi $500

A couple spends around $469 per month in Abbottabad vs $786 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Abbottabad $469
Rawalpindi $786

A family of three spends $624 per month in Abbottabad vs $1,073 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Abbottabad $624
Rawalpindi $1,073

Abbottabad is about 37% cheaper than Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Abbottabad and Rawalpindi are more affordable than the global median – Abbottabad 77% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 508

$2.13 PKR 588

-13.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.79 PKR 2,434

$16.46 PKR 4,556

-46.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 PKR 1,462

$6.12 PKR 1,695

-13.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 PKR 614

$1.78 PKR 493

24.72%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 PKR 515

$3.39 PKR 938

-45.13%

Cappuccino

$1.16 PKR 321

$1.93 PKR 534

-39.90%

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

$0.32 PKR 87.8

$0.43 PKR 119

-25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 PKR 47.75

$0.23 PKR 63.5

-26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 PKR 228

$0.85 PKR 235

-3.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 PKR 269

$0.59 PKR 163

64.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 PKR 300

$1.22 PKR 338

-11.48%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.11 PKR 308

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.49 PKR 967

$6.08 PKR 1,684

-42.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 PKR 646

$3.55 PKR 981

-34.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.86 PKR 1,623

$5.24 PKR 1,451

11.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 295

$1.20 PKR 333

-10.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 PKR 253

$0.87 PKR 240

5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.26 PKR 349

-31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 128

$0.53 PKR 146

-13.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 PKR 72.1

$0.39 PKR 107

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 PKR 131

$0.48 PKR 134

-2.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.32 PKR 88.5

65.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 PKR 89.4

$0.43 PKR 118

-25.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$5.01 PKR 1,387

$16.54 PKR 4,577

-69.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 208

$1.22 PKR 337

-38.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 191

$2.52 PKR 696

-72.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 PKR 452

$2.01 PKR 555

-18.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 PKR 57.1

$0.20 PKR 55.2

5.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 PKR 2,685

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 PKR 305

$0.86 PKR 239

27.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 96.0

$0.37 PKR 103

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 PKR 412

$3.15 PKR 872

-52.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.24 PKR 344

-0.81%

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

$21.9K PKR 6.1M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

16.96%

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

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-2.31%

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

$55.2 PKR 15.3K

$114 PKR 31.5K

-51.42%

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

$3.55 PKR 984

$5.84 PKR 1,616

-39.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 PKR 3,528

$18.80 PKR 5,203

-32.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.23 PKR 2,556

$12.23 PKR 3,385

-24.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 PKR 2,063

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 PKR 541

$4.26 PKR 1,180

-54.23%

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

$27.09 PKR 7,498

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

-44.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$533 PKR 147.5K

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

-48.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.44 PKR 2,060

$17.45 PKR 4,831

-57.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.10 PKR 1,965

$32.71 PKR 9,054

-78.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.1 PKR 13.9K

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

-45.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$10.73 PKR 2,969

$35.95 PKR 9,949

-70.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$81.2 PKR 22.5K

$198 PKR 54.8K

-58.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.3 PKR 15.3K

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

-33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 PKR 45.4K

$417 PKR 115.3K

-60.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

$223 PKR 61.8K

-62.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$450 PKR 124.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$187 PKR 51.7K

$175 PKR 48.5K

6.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

-51.78%

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

Last update for Abbottabad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Abbottabad

$91 28.9%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6% 12.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abbottabad

$72 22.7%

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7% 93.4% $67

Accommodation & Living

Abbottabad

$55 17.6%

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6% 50.2% $28

Eating Out

Abbottabad

$46 14.7%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2% 31.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Abbottabad

$34 10.8%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 137% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Abbottabad

$13 4.2%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 58% $7.6

Getting Around

Abbottabad

$3.7 * 1.2%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 262% $9.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $81.2 in Abbottabad versus $198 in Rawalpindi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Abbottabad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Abbottabad versus $16.00 in Rawalpindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $91.0 vs $103 – making Abbottabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Abbottabad

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

Same time as Abbottabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,491

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Abbottabad Rawalpindi 63 km

From you

Abbottabad
Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi costs about 59% 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 $473 per month in Abbottabad and $750 in Rawalpindi. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Abbottabad and $16.00 in Rawalpindi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Rawalpindi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $315 in Abbottabad and $500 in Rawalpindi, 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rawalpindi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.