Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lahore and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $502 a month against $520 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $220 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lahore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

25

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
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Lahore Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
Learn more

Mardan Living Index

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Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$520

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lahore and in Mardan

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 Mardan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Lahore versus $502 in Mardan.

Lahore $520
Mardan $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Lahore versus $788 in Mardan.

Lahore $787
Mardan $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,053 in Lahore versus $1,074 in Mardan.

Lahore $1,053
Mardan $1,074

Living in Lahore is roughly 4% more expensive than in Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lahore 62% lower, Mardan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.59 PKR 716

$3.53 PKR 978

-26.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.71 PKR 4,071

$23.47 PKR 6,495

-37.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 PKR 1,604

$5.44 PKR 1,504

6.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 PKR 995

$3.66 PKR 1,013

-1.64%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 PKR 1,462

$6.77 PKR 1,872

-21.86%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PKR 693

$2.55 PKR 705

-1.96%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.34 PKR 94.7

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.2

$0.23 PKR 63.9

13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 PKR 271

$0.90 PKR 250

8.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 PKR 206

$0.78 PKR 216

-5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.29 PKR 358

-8.53%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.22 PKR 337

-1.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.14 PKR 1,699

$2.93 PKR 811

109.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 PKR 703

$3.17 PKR 878

-19.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.74 PKR 1,311

$3.72 PKR 1,029

27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 PKR 330

$0.87 PKR 240

36.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 PKR 180

$0.73 PKR 203

-10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$1.03 PKR 286

-19.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 PKR 176

$0.35 PKR 96.5

82.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 78.9

$0.27 PKR 74.2

7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 98.9

$0.38 PKR 106

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 PKR 133

$0.28 PKR 77.2

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.8

$0.35 PKR 96.0

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.05 PKR 291

$1.79 PKR 496

-41.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 PKR 179

$1.20 PKR 333

-45.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 PKR 457

$2.32 PKR 642

-28.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 PKR 594

$1.84 PKR 508

16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 PKR 50.6

$0.20 PKR 54.5

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.42 PKR 1,777

$10.72 PKR 2,966

-40.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 PKR 256

$1.27 PKR 352

-26.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.69 PKR 190

1.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 PKR 491

$1.60 PKR 442

10.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 384

$1.05 PKR 292

32.38%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

-17.58%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

3.21%

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

$126 PKR 35.0K

$104 PKR 28.7K

22.04%

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

$5.47 PKR 1,513

$6.02 PKR 1,666

-9.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.39 PKR 4,535

$16.99 PKR 4,701

-3.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.48 PKR 5,665

$12.89 PKR 3,566

58.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 PKR 3,131

$8.04 PKR 2,223

40.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 PKR 1,203

$4.89 PKR 1,353

-11.04%

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

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

75.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,052 PKR 567.6K

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

93.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 PKR 5,014

$25.98 PKR 7,188

-30.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.03 PKR 7,757

$34.63 PKR 9,583

-19.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

-22.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.44 PKR 9,252

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

-16.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 PKR 46.3K

$134 PKR 37.1K

24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.1 PKR 26.3K

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 PKR 99.2K

$264 PKR 73.1K

35.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 PKR 57.1K

$182 PKR 50.3K

13.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$827 PKR 228.9K

$865 PKR 239.3K

-4.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$568 PKR 157.2K

$578 PKR 159.9K

-1.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 PKR 54.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

13.08

7.42%

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

Last update for Lahore: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lahore

$148 28.5%

Mardan

$127 25.2% 14.6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Lahore

$96 18.5%

Mardan

$84 16.8% 12.5% $12

Accommodation & Living

Lahore

$95 18.3%

Mardan

$86 17.1% 9.6% $9.1

Eating Out

Lahore

$71 13.6%

Mardan

$77 15.4% 9.4% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lahore

$69 13.3%

Mardan

$89 17.7% 27.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lahore

$29 5.6%

Mardan

$23 4.5% 22.3% $6.5

Getting Around

Lahore

$12 2.2%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 40.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $167 in Lahore and $134 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15 in Lahore vs $23 in Mardan. Groceries flip the comparison at $96 vs $84, with Mardan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Lahore

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

Same time as Lahore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,126,285

358,604

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lahore Mardan 360 km

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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

Lahore vs Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $520 in Lahore and $502 in Mardan, so Mardan is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $781 in Lahore and $753 in Mardan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Lahore versus $134 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Lahore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lahore – a meal for two runs $15 versus $23 in Mardan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Mardan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.