Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Rahim Yar Khan

For one person, living is cheaper in Rahim Yar Khan: $444 a month against $608 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Rahim Yar Khan
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Rahim Yar Khan Living Index

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Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$608

/mo nomad

Rahim Yar Khan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$444

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Islamabad and in Rahim Yar Khan

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 Rahim Yar Khan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $608 per month in Islamabad vs $444 in Rahim Yar Khan, rent included.

Islamabad $608
Rahim Yar Khan $444

A couple spends around $950 per month in Islamabad vs $643 in Rahim Yar Khan, rent included.

Islamabad $950
Rahim Yar Khan $643

A family of three spends $1,292 per month in Islamabad vs $843 in Rahim Yar Khan, rent included.

Islamabad $1,292
Rahim Yar Khan $843

Islamabad costs about 37% more than Rahim Yar Khan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Islamabad and Rahim Yar Khan are more affordable than the global median – Islamabad 55% lower, Rahim Yar Khan 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 PKR 986

$1.41 PKR 389

153.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.14 PKR 6,677

$10.64 PKR 2,943

126.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 PKR 1,484

$4.56 PKR 1,261

17.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 PKR 1,031

$2.77 PKR 766

34.66%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 PKR 1,948

$5.38 PKR 1,489

30.86%

Cappuccino

$2.67 PKR 739

$0.81 PKR 225

229.63%

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

$0.35 PKR 95.7

$0.28 PKR 76.9

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 66.6

$0.19 PKR 52.5

26.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 PKR 273

$0.67 PKR 186

47.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 PKR 203

$0.44 PKR 120

68.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 358

$0.65 PKR 181

98.46%

Eggs

$1.32 PKR 366

$1.09 PKR 302

21.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 PKR 1,653

$3.29 PKR 909

81.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 PKR 838

$2.49 PKR 688

21.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.52 PKR 1,527

$4.44 PKR 1,228

24.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 PKR 373

$0.46 PKR 128

193.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 PKR 239

$0.34 PKR 94.7

152.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 PKR 286

$0.52 PKR 143

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 151

$0.37 PKR 103

48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.3

$0.35 PKR 95.7

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.26 PKR 71.4

53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$0.17 PKR 48.37

64.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.27 PKR 73.7

59.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.00 PKR 552

$1.85 PKR 513

8.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 PKR 729

$2.96 PKR 818

-10.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 PKR 652

$2.11 PKR 585

11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 46.19

$0.13 PKR 34.89

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.61 PKR 5,976

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 PKR 355

$0.75 PKR 208

70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.34 PKR 94.6

105.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 PKR 456

$2.33 PKR 643

-29.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.17 PKR 325

13.68%

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

$54.3K PKR 15.0M

$25.3K PKR 7.0M

114.11%

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

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

$22.8K PKR 6.3M

1.68%

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

$103 PKR 28.4K

$146 PKR 40.4K

-29.63%

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

$6.17 PKR 1,706

$5.06 PKR 1,400

21.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 PKR 4,801

$14.34 PKR 3,967

21.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 PKR 9,307

$7.30 PKR 2,018

360.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.62 PKR 2,384

$18.20 PKR 5,035

-52.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 PKR 1,376

$4.42 PKR 1,223

12.44%

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

$326 PKR 90.2K

$19.40 PKR 5,367

1581.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

$1,011 PKR 279.5K

2119.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.82 PKR 7,142

$10.93 PKR 3,022

136.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 PKR 9,546

$18.29 PKR 5,057

88.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 PKR 26.4K

$91.6 PKR 25.3K

4.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.07 PKR 11.4K

$25.66 PKR 7,096

60.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 PKR 68.5K

$126 PKR 34.9K

96.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.5K

$89.0 PKR 24.6K

56.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 PKR 151.7K

$276 PKR 76.3K

98.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 PKR 77.4K

$181 PKR 50.0K

55.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,655 PKR 457.8K

$551 PKR 152.4K

200.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 PKR 228.1K

$451 PKR 124.7K

82.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$384 PKR 106.1K

$90.5 PKR 25.0K

323.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

12.5

4.64%

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

Last update for Islamabad: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rahim Yar Khan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Islamabad

$139 22.9%

Rahim Yar Khan

$89 20.1% 36% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islamabad

$126 20.8%

Rahim Yar Khan

$166 37.3% 31% $39

Groceries & Markets

Islamabad

$104 17.1%

Rahim Yar Khan

$67 15.2% 35.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Islamabad

$89 14.6%

Rahim Yar Khan

$66 14.9% 25.7% $23

Eating Out

Islamabad

$79 13%

Rahim Yar Khan

$37 8.2% 53.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Islamabad

$44 7.2%

Rahim Yar Khan

$16 3.6% 63% $27

Getting Around

Islamabad

$27 4.5%

Rahim Yar Khan

$3 * 0.7% 89% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $248 in Islamabad versus $126 in Rahim Yar Khan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Islamabad are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Islamabad versus $11 in Rahim Yar Khan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $104 vs $67 – making Rahim Yar Khan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🇵🇰 Rahim Yar Khan

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

Same time as Islamabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,009,832 Capital

420,419

💱 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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Islamabad Rahim Yar Khan 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Islamabad
Rahim Yar Khan

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 Rahim Yar Khan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Islamabad is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $912 per month in Islamabad and $665 in Rahim Yar Khan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rahim Yar Khan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $126 there versus $248 in Islamabad.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Islamabad and $11 in Rahim Yar Khan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Islamabad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $608 in Islamabad and $444 in Rahim Yar Khan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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