For one person, living is cheaper in Hyderabad: $444 a month against $516 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lahore and in Hyderabad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $516 per month in Lahore vs $444 in Hyderabad, rent included.
Lahore $516
Hyderabad $444
A couple spends around $784 per month in Lahore vs $687 in Hyderabad, rent included.
Lahore $784
Hyderabad $687
A family of three spends $1,052 per month in Lahore vs $929 in Hyderabad, rent included.
Lahore $1,052
Hyderabad $929
😐
Lahore costs about 16% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
Both Lahore and Hyderabad are more affordable than the global median – Lahore62% lower, Hyderabad67% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.56PKR 708
$1.67PKR 463
53.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.40PKR 3,985
$11.02PKR 3,049
30.67%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$5.83PKR 1,615
$4.41PKR 1,220
32.20%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$3.60PKR 998
$2.21PKR 611
62.90%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.40PKR 1,493
$5.84PKR 1,617
-7.53%
Cappuccino
$2.66PKR 735
$1.07PKR 295
148.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38PKR 106
$0.35PKR 96.4
8.57%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23PKR 63.7
$0.22PKR 60.7
4.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.92PKR 254
$0.83PKR 229
10.84%
White Bread(500g)
$0.78PKR 217
$0.55PKR 153
41.82%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.23PKR 341
$1.20PKR 333
2.50%
Eggs
$1.16PKR 321
$1.24PKR 342
-6.45%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$6.14PKR 1,698
$4.23PKR 1,170
45.15%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$2.62PKR 724
$3.07PKR 850
-14.66%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$4.83PKR 1,336
$4.18PKR 1,156
15.55%
Apples(1kg)
$1.18PKR 327
$1.07PKR 297
10.28%
Banana(1kg)
$0.69PKR 192
$0.40PKR 112
72.50%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.87PKR 240
$0.64PKR 176
35.94%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.65PKR 179
$0.43PKR 120
51.16%
Potato(1kg)
$0.32PKR 88.9
$0.31PKR 84.8
3.23%
Onion(1kg)
$0.40PKR 109
$0.34PKR 94.1
17.65%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.51PKR 141
$0.42PKR 115
21.43%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.35PKR 95.6
$0.41PKR 113
-14.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
$1.07PKR 296
$0.92PKR 255
16.30%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$0.65PKR 180
$1.13PKR 313
-42.48%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64PKR 455
$0.71PKR 196
130.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.19PKR 607
$1.76PKR 487
24.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.20PKR 55.7
$0.18PKR 49.49
11.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$5.44PKR 1,506
$10.18PKR 2,816
-46.56%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.92PKR 254
$0.65PKR 181
41.54%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.70PKR 194
$0.18PKR 49.31
288.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$1.78PKR 492
$0.75PKR 207
137.33%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.34PKR 371
$1.22PKR 338
9.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.0KPKR 5.0M
$17.7KPKR 4.9M
1.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6KPKR 6.5M
$26.1KPKR 7.2M
-9.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$128PKR 35.4K
$113PKR 31.3K
12.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.46PKR 1,512
$5.51PKR 1,526
-0.91%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.41PKR 4,542
$13.03PKR 3,606
25.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$22.38PKR 6,194
$23.30PKR 6,450
-3.95%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.32PKR 3,134
$3.60PKR 997
214.44%
Cinema Ticket
$4.28PKR 1,185
$3.59PKR 993
19.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$51.2PKR 14.2K
$51.9PKR 14.4K
-1.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$2,067PKR 572.2K
$1,342PKR 371.4K
54.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.08PKR 5,003
$16.92PKR 4,682
6.86%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.28PKR 7,827
$23.50PKR 6,504
20.34%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$72.6PKR 20.1K
$66.9PKR 18.5K
8.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.39PKR 8,966
$41.04PKR 11.4K
-21.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$166PKR 45.8K
$136PKR 37.7K
21.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$87.4PKR 24.2K
$76.4PKR 21.2K
14.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$350PKR 96.9K
$306PKR 84.6K
14.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$201PKR 55.7K
$213PKR 58.9K
-5.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$786PKR 217.6K
$778PKR 215.5K
1.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$592PKR 163.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lahore
Hyderabad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$199PKR 55.2K
$154PKR 42.7K
29.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
14.05
13.21
6.36%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Lahore: October 17, 2026
Last update for Hyderabad: October 18, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lahore
$150 29%
Hyderabad
$132 29.7% ↓ 11.9%$18
🛒Groceries & Markets
Lahore
$97 18.8%
Hyderabad
$85 19.1% ↓ 12.8%$12
🏠Accommodation & Living
Lahore
$87 16.9%
Hyderabad
$76 17.2% ↓ 12.6%$11
🍽Eating Out
Lahore
$72 14%
Hyderabad
$42 9.4% ↓ 42.4%$31
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Lahore
$68 13.2%
Hyderabad
$67 15% ↓ 2%$1.4
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Lahore
$31 6%
Hyderabad
$30 6.9% ↓ 1.5%$0.5
🚌Getting Around
Lahore
$11 2.1%
Hyderabad
$12 2.8% ↑ 16.7%$1.8
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lahore
$155 14.7%
Hyderabad
$137 14.8% ↓ 11.5%$18
🛒Groceries & Markets
Lahore
$235 22.3%
Hyderabad
$204 22% ↓ 12.9%$30
🏠Accommodation & Living
Lahore
$201 19.1%
Hyderabad
$213 22.9% ↑ 5.9%$12
🍽Eating Out
Lahore
$215 20.4%
Hyderabad
$136 14.7% ↓ 36.5%$78
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Lahore
$151 14.4%
Hyderabad
$148 16% ↓ 2%$3.1
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Lahore
$73 7%
Hyderabad
$65 7% ↓ 11.8%$8.6
🚌Getting Around
Lahore
$22 2.1%
Hyderabad
$25 2.7% ↑ 16.1%$3.5
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $166 in Lahore versus $136 in Hyderabad. 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 29% higher in Lahore, 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 $14.00 in Lahore versus $11.00 in Hyderabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97.0 vs $85.0 – making Hyderabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.
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
Lahore vs Hyderabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lahore or Hyderabad?
Lahore costs about 16% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lahore and in Hyderabad?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $774 per month in Lahore and $666 in Hyderabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lahore or Hyderabad?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hyderabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Lahore and in Hyderabad?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Lahore and $11.00 in Hyderabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Lahore compared to Hyderabad?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $516 in Lahore and $444 in Hyderabad. That's a gap of about 16%.
Can you live on $800/month in Lahore or in Hyderabad?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $516 in Lahore and $444 in Hyderabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Hyderabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Lahore compared to Hyderabad?
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.
Should I move to Lahore or to Hyderabad?
If budget matters most, go with Hyderabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lahore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.