Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karak and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karak: $430 a month against $498 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Karak
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Karak Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index

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Karak

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$430

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $430 per month in Karak vs $498 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Karak $430
Rawalpindi $498

A couple spends around $640 per month in Karak vs $784 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Karak $640
Rawalpindi $784

A family of three spends $851 per month in Karak vs $1,070 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Karak $851
Rawalpindi $1,070

Karak is about 14% cheaper than Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karak and Rawalpindi are more affordable than the global median – Karak 68% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.74 PKR 204

$2.04 PKR 565

-63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.19 PKR 1,990

$16.20 PKR 4,484

-55.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 PKR 1,545

$5.79 PKR 1,602

-3.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.70 PKR 194

$1.78 PKR 492

-60.67%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 PKR 1,945

$3.47 PKR 962

102.59%

Cappuccino

$0.51 PKR 142

$1.94 PKR 537

-73.71%

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

$0.35 PKR 98.2

$0.44 PKR 121

-20.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 57.9

$0.23 PKR 63.3

-8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 PKR 276

$0.90 PKR 249

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.59 PKR 162

-11.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 295

$1.22 PKR 337

-12.30%

Eggs

$1.06 PKR 292

$1.14 PKR 316

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.76 PKR 488

$6.38 PKR 1,765

-72.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.97 PKR 821

$3.38 PKR 935

-12.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.24 PKR 1,174

$5.22 PKR 1,446

-18.77%

Apples (1kg)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.14 PKR 316

-37.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.89 PKR 245

-42.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 PKR 205

$1.22 PKR 337

-39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.56 PKR 156

-1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 PKR 74.5

$0.35 PKR 97.7

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.6

$0.46 PKR 127

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.18 PKR 49.31

$0.33 PKR 91.5

-45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.1

$0.42 PKR 117

-38.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.80 PKR 499

$16.44 PKR 4,551

-89.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 PKR 342

$1.21 PKR 335

1.65%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 672

$2.45 PKR 677

-0.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 PKR 623

$1.98 PKR 548

13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.0

$0.17 PKR 46.63

11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.28 PKR 2,844

$10.08 PKR 2,791

1.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$0.88 PKR 244

40.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 PKR 208

$0.35 PKR 95.8

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$3.09 PKR 856

-48.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 384

$1.23 PKR 341

13.01%

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

$22.0K PKR 6.1M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

17.35%

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

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

$24.5K PKR 6.8M

-2.88%

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

$100 PKR 27.7K

$115 PKR 31.8K

-12.78%

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

$5.89 PKR 1,630

$5.74 PKR 1,590

2.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.82 PKR 4,655

$18.80 PKR 5,204

-10.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.83 PKR 4,658

$12.17 PKR 3,369

38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.94 PKR 1,922

$7.40 PKR 2,048

-6.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 PKR 1,215

$4.38 PKR 1,211

0.23%

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

$74.2 PKR 20.5K

$49.65 PKR 13.7K

49.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,051 PKR 290.9K

$1,044 PKR 288.9K

0.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.72 PKR 7,120

$17.65 PKR 4,886

45.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.50 PKR 9,550

$32.02 PKR 8,862

7.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 PKR 26.5K

$93.4 PKR 25.9K

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.26 PKR 11.1K

$35.64 PKR 9,863

12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 PKR 36.4K

$204 PKR 56.5K

-35.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.6 PKR 19.8K

$81.6 PKR 22.6K

-12.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 PKR 71.1K

$418 PKR 115.6K

-38.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 PKR 44.8K

$222 PKR 61.5K

-27.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$899 PKR 248.9K

$1,197 PKR 331.2K

-24.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$554 PKR 153.3K

$451 PKR 124.8K

22.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$173 PKR 47.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

22.81

-42.66%

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

Last update for Karak: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karak

$123 28.6%

Rawalpindi

$139 28% 13.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Karak

$88 20.6%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 8.9% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Karak

$74 17.3%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.7% 38.9% $29

Accommodation & Living

Karak

$72 16.7%

Rawalpindi

$82 16.4% 14% $10

Eating Out

Karak

$31 7.2%

Rawalpindi

$60 12% 92% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Karak

$26 6%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 18.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Karak

$16 3.7%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 16.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $131 in Karak versus $204 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 $7.00 in Karak versus $16.00 in Rawalpindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $74.0 vs $103 – making Karak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karak

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

Same time as Karak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,149

2,098,231

💱 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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Karak Rawalpindi 190 km

From you

Karak
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

Karak vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi costs about 16% more than Karak, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $644 per month in Karak and $748 in Rawalpindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2% less in Karak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $74.2 per month in Karak and $49.65 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 $430 in Karak and $498 in Rawalpindi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karak – 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 Karak. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rawalpindi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.