Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arak and Peshawar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $525 in Peshawar, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Peshawar
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Peshawar Living Index

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Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Peshawar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arak and in Peshawar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $480 in Arak versus $525 in Peshawar.

Arak $480
Peshawar $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Arak versus $716 in Peshawar.

Arak $755
Peshawar $716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,030 in Arak versus $906 in Peshawar.

Arak $1,030
Peshawar $906

Living in Arak costs roughly 9% less than in Peshawar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Arak 65% lower, Peshawar 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 $3.55

$2.50 PKR 691

42.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.88 $12.88

$9.15 PKR 2,531

40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 $4.09

$5.35 PKR 1,480

-23.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

$2.21 PKR 612

-66.97%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

$2.92 PKR 807

-80.48%

Cappuccino

$1.33 $1.33

$2.63 PKR 728

-49.43%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$0.34 PKR 95.0

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.18 PKR 49.29

822.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.01 PKR 278

-46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 $0.58

$0.73 PKR 203

-20.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.06 PKR 293

84.91%

Eggs

$1.28 $1.28

$1.11 PKR 308

15.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.44 PKR 953

-37.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.18 PKR 881

-20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$3.67 PKR 1,017

180.93%

Apples (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.19 PKR 329

-35.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.52 PKR 143

80.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$0.63 PKR 173

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.56 PKR 154

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 $0.42

$0.27 PKR 74.5

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 $0.44

$0.34 PKR 94.3

29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.28 PKR 77.0

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$0.25 PKR 68.5

12.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.01 PKR 556

-62.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

$0.74 PKR 205

-25.68%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.73 PKR 203

197.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.84 PKR 510

36.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 $0.10

$0.19 PKR 53.3

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 $9.70

$12.64 PKR 3,498

-23.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.10 PKR 305

-77.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 $0.12

$0.70 PKR 195

-82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.45 PKR 402

-29.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.18 PKR 327

-91.53%

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

$50.3K $50.3K

$22.3K PKR 6.2M

126.04%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

49.29%

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

$10.03 $10.03

$102 PKR 28.2K

-90.16%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$6.10 PKR 1,687

-76.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.01 $4.01

$14.19 PKR 3,926

-71.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.93 $9.93

$15.22 PKR 4,211

-34.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.64 $24.64

$6.14 PKR 1,699

301.30%

Cinema Ticket

$1.11 $1.11

$1.95 PKR 541

-43.08%

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

$83.3 $83.3

$47.01 PKR 13.0K

77.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,372 $2,372

$5,087 PKR 1.4M

-53.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.59 $13.59

$7.38 PKR 2,042

84.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$16.03 PKR 4,437

-46.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 $81.9

$51.2 PKR 14.2K

60.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.1 $52.1

$40.31 PKR 11.2K

29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 $294

$229 PKR 63.3K

28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 $210

$161 PKR 44.6K

29.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 $781

$263 PKR 72.8K

196.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 $357

$197 PKR 54.4K

81.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,369 $1,369

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$647 $647

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 $375

$147 PKR 40.7K

155.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

68.18%

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

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Last update for Peshawar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arak

$210 43.7%

Peshawar

$161 30.7% 23% $48

Groceries & Markets

Arak

$96 20%

Peshawar

$83 15.9% 13.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Arak

$70 14.6%

Peshawar

$52 9.8% 26.4% $19

Eating Out

Arak

$65 13.6%

Peshawar

$70 13.3% 6.7% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arak

$15 3.2%

Peshawar

$122 23.3% 689% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Arak

$12 2.5%

Peshawar

$19 3.6% 57.6% $7

Getting Around

Arak

$11 2.3%

Peshawar

$18 3.4% 64.5% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Arak and $229 in Peshawar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arak pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13 in Arak vs $9 in Peshawar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $83 per month, with Peshawar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Arak

🇵🇰 Peshawar

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Arak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

526,200

1,970,042

💱 Currency

USD USD

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

PKR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arak Peshawar 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Arak
Peshawar

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arak vs Peshawar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Arak is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $294 in Arak versus $229 in Peshawar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $480 per month in Arak versus $525 in Peshawar – Arak is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 23% less than in Peshawar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Arak gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.