Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaranwala and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaranwala: $501 a month against $599 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jaranwala
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Jaranwala Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index

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Jaranwala

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$501

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jaranwala 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 Jaranwala and in Islamabad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $501 per month in Jaranwala vs $599 in Islamabad, rent included.

Jaranwala $501
Islamabad $599

A couple spends around $757 per month in Jaranwala vs $930 in Islamabad, rent included.

Jaranwala $757
Islamabad $930

A family of three spends $1,013 per month in Jaranwala vs $1,261 in Islamabad, rent included.

Jaranwala $1,013
Islamabad $1,261

Jaranwala is about 16% cheaper than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jaranwala and Islamabad are more affordable than the global median – Jaranwala 63% lower, Islamabad 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PKR 572

$3.63 PKR 1,004

-42.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.40 PKR 4,538

$23.40 PKR 6,478

-29.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.89 PKR 1,629

$5.54 PKR 1,534

6.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 PKR 490

$3.57 PKR 987

-50.42%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 PKR 967

$6.73 PKR 1,864

-48.14%

Cappuccino

$1.94 PKR 536

$2.64 PKR 730

-26.52%

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

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.32 PKR 89.6

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.7

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 233

$0.94 PKR 259

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.72 PKR 200

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.30 PKR 361

-1.54%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 307

$1.22 PKR 339

-9.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 PKR 1,711

$6.05 PKR 1,674

2.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 PKR 948

$3.09 PKR 855

10.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.05 PKR 1,397

$5.35 PKR 1,482

-5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.26 PKR 350

-7.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 PKR 224

$0.87 PKR 241

-6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 338

$1.04 PKR 288

17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.53 PKR 146

-1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.29 PKR 81.2

31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 PKR 136

$0.36 PKR 99.4

36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 91.4

$0.28 PKR 76.4

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.39 PKR 108

7.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 PKR 519

$1.95 PKR 539

-4.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 335

$1.19 PKR 331

1.68%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 PKR 644

$2.68 PKR 743

-13.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 PKR 557

$2.24 PKR 619

-10.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.1

$0.16 PKR 43.07

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.80 PKR 2,988

$21.34 PKR 5,905

-49.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.24 PKR 344

-29.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.74 PKR 204

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 PKR 458

$1.60 PKR 442

3.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.37 PKR 378

-12.41%

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

$18.6K PKR 5.1M

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

-65.91%

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

$24.2K PKR 6.7M

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

1.37%

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

$112 PKR 31.0K

$103 PKR 28.6K

8.61%

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

$5.81 PKR 1,608

$5.99 PKR 1,658

-3.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 PKR 5,236

$17.15 PKR 4,746

10.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.25 PKR 4,497

$28.20 PKR 7,806

-42.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 PKR 2,193

$8.47 PKR 2,344

-6.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 PKR 1,220

$4.43 PKR 1,226

-0.45%

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

$49.43 PKR 13.7K

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

-34.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,033 PKR 285.8K

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

-79.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.25 PKR 4,774

$25.72 PKR 7,118

-32.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.47 PKR 8,986

$34.48 PKR 9,543

-5.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 PKR 25.2K

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

-4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.98 PKR 10.2K

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

-10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$110 PKR 30.5K

$276 PKR 76.5K

-60.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.4 PKR 23.1K

$139 PKR 38.3K

-39.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 PKR 75.1K

$572 PKR 158.2K

-52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 PKR 45.0K

$270 PKR 74.9K

-39.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$973 PKR 269.4K

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

-40.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$420 PKR 116.2K

$836 PKR 231.5K

-49.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$380 PKR 105.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

13.08

74.39%

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

Last update for Jaranwala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaranwala

$137 27.4%

Islamabad

$126 21.1% 7.7% $10

Groceries & Markets

Jaranwala

$101 20.2%

Islamabad

$102 17% 1.1% $1.1

Accommodation & Living

Jaranwala

$83 16.7%

Islamabad

$139 23.1% 66.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Jaranwala

$80 16%

Islamabad

$89 14.8% 10.8% $8.7

Eating Out

Jaranwala

$60 12%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 32.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Jaranwala

$25 5%

Islamabad

$37 6.2% 47.9% $12

Getting Around

Jaranwala

$14 2.9%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 87.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $110 in Jaranwala versus $276 in Islamabad. 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 $16.00 in Jaranwala versus $23.00 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $102 – making Jaranwala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Jaranwala

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

Same time as Jaranwala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,380

1,009,832 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Jaranwala Islamabad 260 km

From you

Jaranwala
Islamabad

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

Jaranwala vs Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Islamabad is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $751 per month in Jaranwala and $899 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 1% 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 $16.00 in Jaranwala and $23.00 in Islamabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $501 in Jaranwala and $599 in Islamabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Jaranwala – 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 Jaranwala. 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.