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

😐 Solo nomad: Chennai (Madras) is 1% more expensive than Islamabad without rent, and 11.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chennai (Madras) is 3.5% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 10.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ₹209

$2.91 PKR 812

-21.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.82 ₹1,089

$14.19 PKR 3,966

-16.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.12 ₹379

$5.20 PKR 1,455

-20.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 PKR 499

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PKR 1,112

Cappuccino

$2.08 ₹191

$1.99 PKR 556

4.52%

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

$0.45 ₹41.28

$0.43 PKR 120

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.85

$0.24 PKR 67.4

-29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹188

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 ₹376

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹58.2

$1.01 PKR 283

-37.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₹45.18

$0.65 PKR 182

-24.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ₹66.9

$1.28 PKR 358

-42.97%

Eggs

$0.88 ₹80.9

$1.23 PKR 343

-28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.96 ₹641

$6.12 PKR 1,711

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 ₹317

$3.37 PKR 942

2.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.51 PKR 1,260

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ₹272

$0.99 PKR 277

197.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ₹78.3

$0.80 PKR 223

6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₹117

$0.94 PKR 262

35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹44.96

$0.61 PKR 170

-19.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₹46.95

$0.41 PKR 115

24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ₹46.87

$0.56 PKR 157

-8.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₹54.1

$0.31 PKR 85.8

90.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₹32.52

$0.37 PKR 104

-5.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.93 PKR 539

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 PKR 258

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 569

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ₹373

$2.15 PKR 602

88.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 ₹704

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₹167

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₹321

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

$6.04 ₹556

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₹33.20

$0.17 PKR 46.29

111.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₹1,052

$6.96 PKR 1,945

64.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹148

$0.90 PKR 252

78.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹27.86

$0.41 PKR 114

-26.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 ₹158

$2.75 PKR 767

-37.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₹112

$0.90 PKR 252

35.56%

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

$17.2K ₹1.6M

$21.2K PKR 5.9M

-19.06%

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

$23.9K ₹2.2M

$26.4K PKR 7.4M

-9.34%

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

$47.91 ₹4,413

$112 PKR 31.2K

-57.11%

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

$4.82 ₹444

$5.39 PKR 1,507

-10.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.33 ₹859

$18.43 PKR 5,151

-49.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.77 ₹1,637

$22.69 PKR 6,341

-21.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.99 ₹644

$5.92 PKR 1,655

18.07%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 ₹261

$4.21 PKR 1,177

-32.54%

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

$80.1 ₹7,378

$60.6 PKR 16.9K

32.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,742 ₹160.5K

$2,746 PKR 767.6K

-36.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.91 ₹2,386

$21.22 PKR 5,932

22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.73 ₹2,186

$28.07 PKR 7,846

-15.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.67 ₹4,483

$87.0 PKR 24.3K

-44.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.53 ₹3,365

$40.27 PKR 11.3K

-9.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₹17.8K

$200 PKR 56.0K

-3.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ₹10.9K

$110 PKR 30.9K

6.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₹39.8K

$513 PKR 143.2K

-15.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 ₹24.4K

$289 PKR 80.9K

-8.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,752 ₹161.4K

$1,548 PKR 432.7K

13.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$701 ₹64.6K

$732 PKR 204.6K

-4.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$751 ₹69.2K

$303 PKR 84.8K

147.52%

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): March 1, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: March 2, 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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