Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dera Ghazi Khan and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Dera Ghazi Khan: $413 a month against $607 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dera Ghazi Khan
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Dera Ghazi Khan Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Dera Ghazi Khan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$413

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dera Ghazi Khan and in Islamabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $413 in Dera Ghazi Khan versus $607 in Islamabad.

Dera Ghazi Khan $413
Islamabad $607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $645 in Dera Ghazi Khan versus $948 in Islamabad.

Dera Ghazi Khan $645
Islamabad $948

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $877 in Dera Ghazi Khan versus $1,289 in Islamabad.

Dera Ghazi Khan $877
Islamabad $1,289

Living in Dera Ghazi Khan costs roughly 32% less than in Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dera Ghazi Khan 70% lower, Islamabad 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.79 PKR 495

$3.50 PKR 968

-48.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.92 PKR 3,019

$22.76 PKR 6,292

-52.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PKR 1,479

$5.37 PKR 1,485

-0.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 PKR 694

$3.58 PKR 990

-29.89%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 PKR 617

$6.82 PKR 1,885

-67.30%

Cappuccino

$1.51 PKR 417

$2.56 PKR 708

-41.02%

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

$0.48 PKR 133

$0.32 PKR 87.1

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 PKR 81.5

$0.21 PKR 57.9

38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 PKR 213

$0.98 PKR 270

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 PKR 167

$0.71 PKR 198

-15.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 343

$1.30 PKR 358

-4.62%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 345

$1.21 PKR 334

3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 PKR 2,398

$6.05 PKR 1,671

43.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$3.05 PKR 843

-18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.13 PKR 1,143

$5.38 PKR 1,487

-23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 PKR 307

$1.33 PKR 369

-16.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 PKR 181

$0.86 PKR 239

-23.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.60 PKR 166

$1.07 PKR 295

-43.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 PKR 176

$0.52 PKR 144

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.1

$0.27 PKR 73.6

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 132

$0.39 PKR 107

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.28 PKR 76.7

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 112

$0.43 PKR 118

-6.98%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.99 PKR 550

-71.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.24 PKR 342

-54.84%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 PKR 204

$2.61 PKR 722

-71.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.45 PKR 402

$2.36 PKR 653

-38.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 43.82

$0.17 PKR 45.72

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.35 PKR 2,586

$21.58 PKR 5,965

-56.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 PKR 305

$1.24 PKR 342

-11.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 PKR 305

$0.74 PKR 206

48.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 PKR 818

$1.61 PKR 446

83.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$1.31 PKR 364

-29.77%

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

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

$54.9K PKR 15.2M

-57.51%

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

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

$23.7K PKR 6.5M

-1.66%

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

$66.7 PKR 18.4K

$104 PKR 28.6K

-35.56%

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

$5.46 PKR 1,509

$6.11 PKR 1,689

-10.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.17 PKR 3,916

$17.21 PKR 4,758

-17.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.91 PKR 3,845

$33.65 PKR 9,301

-58.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 PKR 1,926

$8.52 PKR 2,356

-18.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 PKR 2,008

$4.91 PKR 1,358

47.86%

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

$26.00 PKR 7,188

$326 PKR 90.0K

-92.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,035 PKR 562.7K

$4,917 PKR 1.4M

-58.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.20 PKR 5,307

$26.22 PKR 7,249

-26.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.81 PKR 7,412

$35.05 PKR 9,689

-23.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.2 PKR 15.3K

$98.2 PKR 27.1K

-43.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.05 PKR 8,306

$40.45 PKR 11.2K

-25.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 PKR 40.5K

$261 PKR 72.0K

-43.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.6 PKR 20.1K

$140 PKR 38.6K

-48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 PKR 77.0K

$557 PKR 153.9K

-49.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 PKR 45.8K

$287 PKR 79.5K

-42.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 PKR 229.6K

$1,691 PKR 467.3K

-50.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$493 PKR 136.3K

$839 PKR 232.0K

-41.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 PKR 106.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

13.08

-9.56%

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

Last update for Dera Ghazi Khan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dera Ghazi Khan

$98 23.8%

Islamabad

$103 17% 4.9% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dera Ghazi Khan

$86 20.9%

Islamabad

$127 20.9% 46.9% $41

Accommodation & Living

Dera Ghazi Khan

$73 17.6%

Islamabad

$140 23% 92.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Dera Ghazi Khan

$59 14.3%

Islamabad

$90 14.8% 52.3% $31

Eating Out

Dera Ghazi Khan

$52 12.5%

Islamabad

$77 12.7% 49.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dera Ghazi Khan

$28 6.9%

Islamabad

$43 7.2% 52.8% $15

Getting Around

Dera Ghazi Khan

$17 4%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 63.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $146 in Dera Ghazi Khan and $261 in Islamabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Dera Ghazi Khan vs $23 in Islamabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $98 vs $103 per month, with Dera Ghazi Khan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Dera Ghazi Khan

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

Same time as Dera Ghazi Khan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

399,064

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Dera Ghazi Khan Islamabad 470 km

From you

Dera Ghazi Khan
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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

Dera Ghazi Khan vs Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $413 in Dera Ghazi Khan and $607 in Islamabad, so Dera Ghazi Khan is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $619 in Dera Ghazi Khan and $911 in Islamabad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $146 in Dera Ghazi Khan versus $261 in Islamabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dera Ghazi Khan runs roughly 57% less than in Islamabad. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $26 in Dera Ghazi Khan versus $326 in Islamabad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Dera Ghazi Khan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Dera Ghazi Khan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Islamabad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.