Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lahore and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $520 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
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Lahore Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index

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Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$520

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lahore and in Quetta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Lahore versus $415 in Quetta.

Lahore $520
Quetta $415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Lahore versus $620 in Quetta.

Lahore $787
Quetta $620

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,053 in Lahore versus $826 in Quetta.

Lahore $1,053
Quetta $826

Living in Lahore is roughly 25% more expensive than in Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lahore 62% lower, Quetta 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.59 PKR 716

$3.51 PKR 971

-26.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.71 PKR 4,071

$10.77 PKR 2,980

36.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 PKR 1,604

$4.59 PKR 1,270

26.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 PKR 995

$1.86 PKR 515

93.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 PKR 1,462

$5.17 PKR 1,431

2.32%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PKR 693

$1.65 PKR 456

51.52%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.41 PKR 114

-2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.2

$0.17 PKR 48.34

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 PKR 271

$0.75 PKR 206

30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 PKR 206

$0.55 PKR 153

34.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.28 PKR 353

-7.81%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.18 PKR 327

1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.14 PKR 1,699

$5.02 PKR 1,388

22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 PKR 703

$2.95 PKR 816

-13.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.74 PKR 1,311

$5.18 PKR 1,434

-8.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 PKR 330

$0.99 PKR 275

20.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 PKR 180

$0.56 PKR 155

16.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$0.69 PKR 190

20.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 PKR 176

$0.55 PKR 152

16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 78.9

$0.32 PKR 88.7

-9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 98.9

$0.52 PKR 143

-30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 PKR 133

$0.42 PKR 117

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.8

$0.40 PKR 110

-12.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.05 PKR 291

$1.83 PKR 507

-42.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 PKR 179

$1.20 PKR 332

-45.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 PKR 457

$2.41 PKR 667

-31.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 PKR 594

$2.04 PKR 563

5.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 PKR 50.6

$0.14 PKR 37.88

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.42 PKR 1,777

$9.01 PKR 2,493

-28.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 PKR 256

$1.04 PKR 289

-10.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.47 PKR 129

48.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 PKR 491

$1.53 PKR 424

15.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 384

$1.15 PKR 317

20.87%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

-9.84%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

3.70%

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

$126 PKR 35.0K

$100 PKR 27.7K

26.19%

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

$5.47 PKR 1,513

$7.95 PKR 2,200

-31.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.39 PKR 4,535

$16.48 PKR 4,561

-0.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.48 PKR 5,665

$5.81 PKR 1,608

252.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 PKR 3,131

$7.46 PKR 2,063

51.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 PKR 1,203

$3.23 PKR 894

34.67%

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

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

$35.14 PKR 9,724

110.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,052 PKR 567.6K

$1,039 PKR 287.4K

97.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 PKR 5,014

$8.05 PKR 2,228

125.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.03 PKR 7,757

$22.10 PKR 6,114

26.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.44 PKR 9,252

$33.98 PKR 9,402

-1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 PKR 46.3K

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

134.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.1 PKR 26.3K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

87.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 PKR 99.2K

$164 PKR 45.4K

118.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 PKR 57.1K

$101 PKR 27.8K

105.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$827 PKR 228.9K

$386 PKR 106.9K

114.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$568 PKR 157.2K

$222 PKR 61.5K

155.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 PKR 54.9K

$274 PKR 75.8K

-27.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

8.08%

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

Last update for Lahore: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lahore

$148 28.5%

Quetta

$125 30.1% 16% $24

Groceries & Markets

Lahore

$96 18.5%

Quetta

$90 21.8% 6% $5.7

Accommodation & Living

Lahore

$95 18.3%

Quetta

$51 12.2% 46.7% $44

Eating Out

Lahore

$71 13.6%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 9.6% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Lahore

$69 13.3%

Quetta

$60 14.4% 13.7% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lahore

$29 5.6%

Quetta

$12 3% 57.9% $17

Getting Around

Lahore

$12 2.2%

Quetta

$13 3.1% 11.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $167 in Lahore and $71 in Quetta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quetta pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15 in Lahore vs $11 in Quetta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $90 per month, with Quetta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Lahore

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

Same time as Lahore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,126,285

1,001,205

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Lahore Quetta 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lahore
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $520 in Lahore and $415 in Quetta, so Quetta is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Lahore. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Lahore versus $71 in Quetta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lahore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Quetta – a meal for two runs $11 versus $15 in Lahore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Quetta 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.