Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gilgit and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gilgit: $447 a month against $503 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Gilgit
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Gilgit Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Gilgit

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$447

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gilgit and in Rawalpindi

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

A single person spends $447 per month in Gilgit vs $503 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Gilgit $447
Rawalpindi $503

A couple spends around $670 per month in Gilgit vs $788 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Gilgit $670
Rawalpindi $788

A family of three spends $894 per month in Gilgit vs $1,072 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Gilgit $894
Rawalpindi $1,072

Gilgit is about 11% cheaper than Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Gilgit and Rawalpindi are more affordable than the global median – Gilgit 67% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.49 PKR 411

$2.09 PKR 579

-28.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.71 PKR 2,962

$16.18 PKR 4,477

-33.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 PKR 1,473

$6.03 PKR 1,668

-11.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 PKR 690

$1.76 PKR 487

42.05%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 PKR 1,407

$3.48 PKR 961

46.26%

Cappuccino

$1.59 PKR 441

$1.94 PKR 537

-18.04%

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

$0.32 PKR 88.2

$0.44 PKR 122

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 62.7

$0.25 PKR 69.5

-8.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 PKR 223

$0.91 PKR 253

-10.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 PKR 172

$0.59 PKR 164

5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 PKR 312

$1.24 PKR 343

-8.87%

Eggs

$1.15 PKR 317

$1.14 PKR 314

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 PKR 1,557

$6.38 PKR 1,765

-11.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.46 PKR 681

$3.54 PKR 979

-30.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.84 PKR 1,339

$5.19 PKR 1,436

-6.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 PKR 309

$1.18 PKR 327

-5.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 PKR 160

$0.89 PKR 246

-34.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 PKR 216

$1.24 PKR 343

-37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.58 PKR 160

-10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 77.3

$0.35 PKR 97.6

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.48 PKR 133

-20.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.35 PKR 95.5

22.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.39 PKR 108

-2.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.89 PKR 522

$16.25 PKR 4,496

-88.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 PKR 303

$1.22 PKR 336

-10.66%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 674

$2.49 PKR 688

-2.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 PKR 545

$1.97 PKR 546

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 43.69

$0.17 PKR 46.97

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.05 PKR 2,781

$9.81 PKR 2,712

2.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 PKR 295

$0.87 PKR 241

22.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.38 PKR 104

86.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 PKR 448

$2.99 PKR 828

-45.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 PKR 325

$1.19 PKR 329

-1.68%

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

$22.0K PKR 6.1M

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

15.24%

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

$23.2K PKR 6.4M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-1.51%

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

$101 PKR 27.8K

$112 PKR 31.1K

-10.57%

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

$5.66 PKR 1,567

$5.60 PKR 1,549

1.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.23 PKR 3,936

$18.77 PKR 5,192

-24.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 PKR 4,107

$12.23 PKR 3,384

21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.85 PKR 2,173

$7.62 PKR 2,109

3.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,176

$4.25 PKR 1,175

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

$42.28 PKR 11.7K

$49.55 PKR 13.7K

-14.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,047 PKR 289.7K

$1,057 PKR 292.3K

-0.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.72 PKR 4,625

$17.14 PKR 4,741

-2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.58 PKR 6,246

$32.15 PKR 8,893

-29.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 PKR 18.7K

$91.8 PKR 25.4K

-26.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.35 PKR 8,948

$36.65 PKR 10.1K

-11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.2K

$184 PKR 50.8K

-26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

$87.4 PKR 24.2K

-1.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 PKR 75.2K

$383 PKR 105.9K

-28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 PKR 49.2K

$224 PKR 61.9K

-20.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$810 PKR 224.2K

$1,016 PKR 280.9K

-20.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 PKR 138.0K

$433 PKR 119.7K

15.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$171 PKR 47.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

-43.01%

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

Last update for Gilgit: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gilgit

$120 27%

Rawalpindi

$137 27.2% 13.6% $16

Groceries & Markets

Gilgit

$90 20.1%

Rawalpindi

$104 20.7% 16.2% $14

Accommodation & Living

Gilgit

$86 19.3%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.4% 1.6% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Gilgit

$63 14%

Rawalpindi

$80 15.9% 27.7% $17

Eating Out

Gilgit

$49 11%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.1% 23.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Gilgit

$23 5.2%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 11.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Gilgit

$15 3.4%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.6% 13.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Gilgit versus $184 in Rawalpindi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Gilgit versus $16 in Rawalpindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $90 vs $104 – making Gilgit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Gilgit

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

Same time as Gilgit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

216,760

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gilgit Rawalpindi 280 km

From you

Gilgit
Rawalpindi

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

Gilgit vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi costs about 13% more than Gilgit, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $670 per month in Gilgit and $755 in Rawalpindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gilgit, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $184 in Rawalpindi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $447 in Gilgit and $503 in Rawalpindi. That makes Gilgit about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $42 per month in Gilgit and $50 in Rawalpindi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $447 in Gilgit and $503 in Rawalpindi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gilgit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.