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

🙂 Solo nomad: Chennai (Madras) is 0.3% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 11.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chennai (Madras) is 1.2% cheaper than Islamabad without rent, and 11% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ₹206

$2.76 PKR 771

-19.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.70 ₹1,087

$14.25 PKR 3,975

-17.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 ₹387

$5.32 PKR 1,485

-21.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 PKR 482

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PKR 1,109

Cappuccino

$2.15 ₹199

$2.08 PKR 581

3.37%

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

$0.48 ₹45.03

$0.42 PKR 118

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.93

$0.24 PKR 67.2

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₹200

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 ₹371

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹58.4

$0.97 PKR 269

-35.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 ₹49.71

$0.66 PKR 185

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹66.3

$1.26 PKR 352

-43.65%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹84.9

$1.27 PKR 355

-28.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.97 ₹647

$6.02 PKR 1,680

15.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 ₹334

$3.43 PKR 958

4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.40 PKR 1,227

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ₹265

$1.00 PKR 280

185.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ₹79.7

$0.85 PKR 236

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₹119

$0.90 PKR 251

42.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹44.86

$0.57 PKR 158

-15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 ₹51.7

$0.38 PKR 106

47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 ₹46.13

$0.57 PKR 160

-12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₹55.3

$0.33 PKR 93.0

78.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₹32.66

$0.37 PKR 104

-5.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.91 PKR 534

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PKR 255

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 PKR 566

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ₹372

$2.06 PKR 576

94.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 ₹734

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₹177

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ₹316

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

$6.30 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₹33.55

$0.18 PKR 50.4

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.73 ₹1,090

$6.90 PKR 1,924

70.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ₹148

$0.91 PKR 253

74.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹25.68

$0.40 PKR 112

-30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ₹160

$2.87 PKR 802

-40.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₹113

$0.92 PKR 258

32.61%

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

$17.4K ₹1.6M

$20.9K PKR 5.8M

-16.80%

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

$24.7K ₹2.3M

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

-5.60%

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

$47.86 ₹4,447

$111 PKR 31.1K

-57.02%

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

$4.71 ₹438

$5.57 PKR 1,555

-15.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.76 ₹907

$18.70 PKR 5,218

-47.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.69 ₹1,644

$22.29 PKR 6,220

-20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 ₹636

$5.86 PKR 1,634

16.89%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹266

$4.30 PKR 1,200

-33.49%

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

$78.9 ₹7,331

$60.6 PKR 16.9K

30.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,776 ₹165.1K

$2,738 PKR 764.0K

-35.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.04 ₹2,419

$21.38 PKR 5,965

21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.73 ₹2,205

$28.45 PKR 7,937

-16.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.33 ₹4,584

$89.5 PKR 25.0K

-44.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.06 ₹3,351

$40.17 PKR 11.2K

-10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$189 ₹17.5K

$197 PKR 55.0K

-4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 ₹10.9K

$111 PKR 31.1K

5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₹40.2K

$505 PKR 140.8K

-14.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹24.5K

$292 PKR 81.6K

-9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,734 ₹161.1K

$1,535 PKR 428.2K

13.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$709 ₹65.9K

$752 PKR 209.7K

-5.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$723 ₹67.1K

$304 PKR 84.7K

138.02%

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): April 12, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: April 12, 2026

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

Chennai (Madras) vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

Mangalore

🇮🇳 India

Isfahan

🇮🇷 Iran

Greater Noida

🇮🇳 India