Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lahore and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $504 a month against $520 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $190 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 Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$520

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Lahore versus $504 in Rawalpindi.

Lahore $520
Rawalpindi $504

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

Lahore $787
Rawalpindi $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,053 in Lahore versus $1,069 in Rawalpindi.

Lahore $1,053
Rawalpindi $1,069

Living in Lahore is roughly 3% more expensive than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.59 PKR 716

$2.11 PKR 584

22.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.71 PKR 4,071

$16.10 PKR 4,454

-8.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 PKR 1,604

$6.07 PKR 1,680

-4.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 PKR 995

$1.78 PKR 492

102.25%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 PKR 1,462

$3.48 PKR 963

52.01%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PKR 693

$2.01 PKR 556

24.38%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.40 PKR 112

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.2

$0.23 PKR 63.1

13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 PKR 271

$0.87 PKR 241

12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 PKR 206

$0.59 PKR 162

25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.21 PKR 336

-2.48%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.10 PKR 303

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.14 PKR 1,699

$6.25 PKR 1,729

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 PKR 703

$3.55 PKR 983

-28.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.74 PKR 1,311

$4.94 PKR 1,366

-4.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 PKR 330

$1.20 PKR 333

-0.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 PKR 180

$0.87 PKR 242

-25.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$1.21 PKR 336

-31.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 PKR 176

$0.52 PKR 145

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 78.9

$0.39 PKR 107

-25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 98.9

$0.46 PKR 127

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 PKR 133

$0.31 PKR 87.1

54.84%

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

$16.44 PKR 4,550

-93.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 PKR 179

$1.16 PKR 321

-43.97%

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 564

5.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 PKR 50.6

$0.19 PKR 53.9

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.42 PKR 1,777

$10.06 PKR 2,783

-36.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 PKR 256

$0.87 PKR 240

6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.35 PKR 95.5

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 PKR 491

$3.11 PKR 860

-43.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 384

$1.24 PKR 342

12.10%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

-6.89%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

2.96%

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

$126 PKR 35.0K

$115 PKR 31.7K

10.28%

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

$5.47 PKR 1,513

$5.61 PKR 1,551

-2.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.39 PKR 4,535

$18.35 PKR 5,078

-10.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.48 PKR 5,665

$12.01 PKR 3,322

70.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 PKR 3,131

$7.28 PKR 2,015

55.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 PKR 1,203

$4.25 PKR 1,175

2.35%

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

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

51.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,052 PKR 567.6K

$1,056 PKR 292.3K

94.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 PKR 5,014

$17.54 PKR 4,852

3.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.03 PKR 7,757

$32.61 PKR 9,022

-14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

-20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.44 PKR 9,252

$35.98 PKR 9,956

-7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 PKR 46.3K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.1 PKR 26.3K

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

9.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 PKR 99.2K

$396 PKR 109.5K

-9.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 PKR 57.1K

$221 PKR 61.2K

-6.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$827 PKR 228.9K

$1,007 PKR 278.6K

-17.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$568 PKR 157.2K

$434 PKR 120.2K

30.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 PKR 54.9K

$174 PKR 48.0K

14.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

22.81

-38.40%

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

Last update for Lahore: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lahore

$148 28.5%

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5% 6.5% $9.7

Groceries & Markets

Lahore

$96 18.5%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2% 6% $5.8

Accommodation & Living

Lahore

$95 18.3%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3% 8.3% $7.9

Eating Out

Lahore

$71 13.6%

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2% 12.8% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lahore

$69 13.3%

Rawalpindi

$81 16% 16.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lahore

$29 5.6%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 29.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Lahore

$12 2.2%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 16.1% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $167 in Lahore and $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lahore pays 14% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Lahore vs $16 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $102 per month, with Lahore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Lahore

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

Same time as Lahore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,126,285

2,098,231

💱 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 Rawalpindi 250 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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $520 in Lahore and $504 in Rawalpindi, so Rawalpindi is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Lahore, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Lahore versus $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lahore pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lahore – a meal for two runs $15 versus $16 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Rawalpindi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Rawalpindi wins on affordability, Lahore on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.