Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Faisalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Faisalabad: $398 a month against $599 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Faisalabad
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Faisalabad Living Index

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Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Faisalabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Islamabad and in Faisalabad

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

A single person spends $599 per month in Islamabad vs $398 in Faisalabad, rent included.

Islamabad $599
Faisalabad $398

A couple spends around $930 per month in Islamabad vs $620 in Faisalabad, rent included.

Islamabad $930
Faisalabad $620

A family of three spends $1,261 per month in Islamabad vs $841 in Faisalabad, rent included.

Islamabad $1,261
Faisalabad $841

Islamabad costs about 50% more than Faisalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Islamabad and Faisalabad are more affordable than the global median – Islamabad 56% lower, Faisalabad 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 PKR 1,004

$1.85 PKR 511

96.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.40 PKR 6,478

$10.80 PKR 2,989

116.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 PKR 1,534

$5.29 PKR 1,465

4.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 PKR 987

$2.46 PKR 680

45.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 PKR 1,864

$2.19 PKR 605

207.31%

Cappuccino

$2.64 PKR 730

$1.52 PKR 420

73.68%

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

$0.32 PKR 89.6

$0.43 PKR 120

-25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.7

$0.30 PKR 81.7

-23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 PKR 259

$0.81 PKR 225

16.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 PKR 200

$0.65 PKR 179

10.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PKR 361

$1.26 PKR 349

3.17%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 339

$1.25 PKR 346

-2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.05 PKR 1,674

$8.53 PKR 2,362

-29.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 PKR 855

$2.59 PKR 716

19.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.35 PKR 1,482

$3.96 PKR 1,096

35.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 350

$1.10 PKR 304

14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.65 PKR 181

33.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 PKR 288

$0.58 PKR 159

79.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.59 PKR 164

-10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 81.2

$0.30 PKR 83.6

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.4

$0.47 PKR 130

-23.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 76.4

$0.62 PKR 172

-54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 PKR 108

$0.44 PKR 122

-11.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.95 PKR 539

$0.55 PKR 152

254.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 PKR 331

$0.52 PKR 143

128.85%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 PKR 743

$0.70 PKR 194

282.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 PKR 619

$1.40 PKR 389

60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 43.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 PKR 5,905

$7.08 PKR 1,958

201.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.05 PKR 292

18.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$1.06 PKR 295

-30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$2.84 PKR 785

-43.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 PKR 378

$1.17 PKR 324

17.09%

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

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

128.51%

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

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

$23.2K PKR 6.4M

2.69%

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

$103 PKR 28.6K

$68.6 PKR 19.0K

50.63%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,658

$7.88 PKR 2,181

-23.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.15 PKR 4,746

$11.57 PKR 3,203

48.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.20 PKR 7,806

$14.39 PKR 3,982

95.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.47 PKR 2,344

$17.78 PKR 4,920

-52.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 PKR 1,226

$7.17 PKR 1,983

-38.21%

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

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

$26.99 PKR 7,470

180.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

$2,046 PKR 566.4K

144.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.72 PKR 7,118

$19.01 PKR 5,263

35.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.48 PKR 9,543

$26.58 PKR 7,358

29.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

$53.6 PKR 14.8K

78.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

$30.28 PKR 8,380

36.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 PKR 76.5K

$110 PKR 30.3K

152.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.3K

$58.8 PKR 16.3K

135.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 PKR 158.2K

$217 PKR 60.0K

163.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 PKR 74.9K

$121 PKR 33.5K

123.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

$543 PKR 150.4K

199.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$836 PKR 231.5K

$251 PKR 69.3K

233.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$380 PKR 105.2K

$166 PKR 46.0K

128.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

11.83

10.57%

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

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Faisalabad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Islamabad

$139 23.1%

Faisalabad

$59 14.8% 57.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islamabad

$126 21.1%

Faisalabad

$88 22.1% 30.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Islamabad

$102 17%

Faisalabad

$99 25% 2.6% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Islamabad

$89 14.8%

Faisalabad

$58 14.6% 34.3% $30

Eating Out

Islamabad

$80 13.3%

Faisalabad

$52 13% 34.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Islamabad

$37 6.2%

Faisalabad

$29 7.2% 22.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Islamabad

$27 4.5%

Faisalabad

$13 * 3.4% 50% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $276 in Islamabad versus $110 in Faisalabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 129% higher in Islamabad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Islamabad versus $11.00 in Faisalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $99.0 – making Faisalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🇵🇰 Faisalabad

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

Same time as Islamabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,009,832 Capital

3,203,846

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Islamabad vs Faisalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islamabad costs about 50% more than Faisalabad, 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 $899 per month in Islamabad and $598 in Faisalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Faisalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Islamabad, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Islamabad and $11.00 in Faisalabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $599 in Islamabad and $398 in Faisalabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Faisalabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Islamabad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.