Cost of Living Comparison Between Chennai (Madras) and Islamabad Cost of Living Comparison Between Chennai (Madras) and Islamabad

😐 Solo nomad: Chennai (Madras) is 0.4% more expensive than Islamabad without rent, and 9.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chennai (Madras) is 2.1% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 9.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.18 ₹198

$2.76 PKR 779

-21.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.66 ₹1,058

$14.05 PKR 3,959

-17.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.16 ₹378

$5.44 PKR 1,532

-23.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 PKR 488

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 PKR 1,073

Cappuccino

$2.17 ₹197

$2.00 PKR 562

8.50%

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

$0.48 ₹43.75

$0.39 PKR 110

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.12

$0.24 PKR 68.0

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 ₹187

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 ₹378

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹56.3

$0.99 PKR 280

-37.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹47.96

$0.67 PKR 189

-20.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ₹66.1

$1.23 PKR 348

-40.65%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹80.4

$1.23 PKR 345

-27.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₹664

$6.33 PKR 1,784

15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 ₹328

$3.38 PKR 953

6.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.33 PKR 1,221

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 ₹256

$1.04 PKR 294

171.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 ₹74.1

$0.78 PKR 220

5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₹116

$0.96 PKR 272

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹44.34

$0.56 PKR 157

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₹46.14

$0.41 PKR 117

24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 ₹48.47

$0.57 PKR 161

-7.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₹54.2

$0.33 PKR 94.0

81.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₹29.57

$0.37 PKR 105

-10.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.92 PKR 542

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 PKR 242

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 PKR 554

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 ₹357

$2.14 PKR 604

83.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 ₹796

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹170

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ₹311

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹558

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₹32.90

$0.19 PKR 53.6

89.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 ₹1,066

$7.25 PKR 2,042

61.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ₹141

$0.86 PKR 242

81.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹25.25

$0.44 PKR 124

-36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₹162

$2.81 PKR 792

-36.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₹106

$0.90 PKR 254

30.00%

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

$17.6K ₹1.6M

$21.0K PKR 5.9M

-15.97%

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

$24.7K ₹2.2M

$26.2K PKR 7.4M

-5.72%

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

$48.22 ₹4,377

$111 PKR 31.1K

-56.39%

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

$4.89 ₹443

$5.53 PKR 1,557

-11.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.53 ₹865

$18.50 PKR 5,212

-48.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.20 ₹1,561

$22.98 PKR 6,475

-25.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ₹625

$6.07 PKR 1,709

13.34%

Cinema Ticket

$2.92 ₹265

$4.29 PKR 1,210

-31.93%

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

$79.9 ₹7,250

$59.1 PKR 16.6K

35.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,739 ₹157.9K

$2,792 PKR 786.4K

-37.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.12 ₹2,280

$21.28 PKR 5,995

18.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.75 ₹2,156

$28.32 PKR 7,980

-16.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.42 ₹4,395

$89.1 PKR 25.1K

-45.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.44 ₹3,308

$40.51 PKR 11.4K

-10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 ₹17.5K

$196 PKR 55.2K

-1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ₹10.4K

$110 PKR 30.9K

4.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ₹39.2K

$517 PKR 145.5K

-16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 ₹24.1K

$294 PKR 82.7K

-9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,789 ₹162.3K

$1,529 PKR 430.8K

16.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$744 ₹67.5K

$750 PKR 211.4K

-0.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$740 ₹67.1K

$285 PKR 80.3K

159.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.42

20.2

-53.37%

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

Last update for Chennai (Madras): January 12, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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