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

🙂 Solo nomad: Islamabad is 1% cheaper than Chennai (Madras) without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Islamabad is 3.6% more expensive than Chennai (Madras) without rent, and 11.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 PKR 812

$2.27 ₹209

28.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.19 PKR 3,966

$11.82 ₹1,089

20.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 PKR 1,455

$4.12 ₹379

26.21%

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

$1.99 PKR 556

$2.08 ₹191

-4.33%

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

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.45 ₹41.28

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 67.4

$0.17 ₹15.85

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹188

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 ₹376

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 PKR 283

$0.63 ₹58.2

60.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 PKR 182

$0.49 ₹45.18

32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 358

$0.73 ₹66.9

75.34%

Eggs

$1.23 PKR 343

$0.88 ₹80.9

39.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 PKR 1,711

$6.96 ₹641

-12.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 PKR 942

$3.44 ₹317

-2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.51 PKR 1,260

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 277

$2.95 ₹272

-66.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 PKR 223

$0.85 ₹78.3

-5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 PKR 262

$1.27 ₹117

-25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 PKR 170

$0.49 ₹44.96

24.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 PKR 115

$0.51 ₹46.95

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 157

$0.51 ₹46.87

9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 PKR 85.8

$0.59 ₹54.1

-47.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 PKR 104

$0.35 ₹32.52

5.71%

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)

$2.15 PKR 602

$4.05 ₹373

-46.91%

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)

$0.17 PKR 46.29

$0.36 ₹33.20

-52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.96 PKR 1,945

$11.42 ₹1,052

-39.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 PKR 252

$1.61 ₹148

-44.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 PKR 114

$0.30 ₹27.86

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 PKR 767

$1.71 ₹158

60.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 252

$1.22 ₹112

-26.23%

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

$21.2K PKR 5.9M

$17.2K ₹1.6M

23.55%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.4M

$23.9K ₹2.2M

10.30%

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

$112 PKR 31.2K

$47.91 ₹4,413

133.15%

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

$5.39 PKR 1,507

$4.82 ₹444

11.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.43 PKR 5,151

$9.33 ₹859

97.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.69 PKR 6,341

$17.77 ₹1,637

27.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 PKR 1,655

$6.99 ₹644

-15.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 PKR 1,177

$2.84 ₹261

48.24%

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

$60.6 PKR 16.9K

$80.1 ₹7,378

-24.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,746 PKR 767.6K

$1,742 ₹160.5K

57.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.22 PKR 5,932

$25.91 ₹2,386

-18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.07 PKR 7,846

$23.73 ₹2,186

18.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 PKR 24.3K

$48.67 ₹4,483

78.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.27 PKR 11.3K

$36.53 ₹3,365

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 PKR 56.0K

$194 ₹17.8K

3.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 PKR 30.9K

$118 ₹10.9K

-6.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 PKR 143.2K

$432 ₹39.8K

18.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 PKR 80.9K

$265 ₹24.4K

9.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,548 PKR 432.7K

$1,752 ₹161.4K

-11.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$732 PKR 204.6K

$701 ₹64.6K

4.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$303 PKR 84.8K

$751 ₹69.2K

-59.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.2

9.42

114.44%

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

Last update for Islamabad: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chennai (Madras): March 1, 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

Similar cities

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

Hyderabad

🇮🇳 India

Ahmedabad

🇮🇳 India

Noida

🇮🇳 India

Navi Mumbai

🇮🇳 India

Raipur

🇮🇳 India

Hurghada

🇪🇬 Egypt