Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $491 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $43,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $491 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

London $4,086
Rawalpindi $491

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $776 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

London $5,816
Rawalpindi $776

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $1,060 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

London $7,546
Rawalpindi $1,060

London costs about 732% more than Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Rawalpindi is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$2.03 PKR 561

1211.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$16.03 PKR 4,436

571.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$5.83 PKR 1,612

78.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 PKR 511

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 PKR 927

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$1.95 PKR 539

196.92%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$0.44 PKR 121

584.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.25 PKR 69.6

760.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.84 PKR 233

113.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$0.56 PKR 155

267.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.24 PKR 343

86.29%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$1.14 PKR 316

342.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$6.38 PKR 1,765

97.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$3.53 PKR 977

201.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$4.95 PKR 1,370

246.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.16 PKR 320

161.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.87 PKR 242

62.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.24 PKR 343

145.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$0.54 PKR 149

525.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.38 PKR 105

339.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.46 PKR 127

276.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.33 PKR 92.7

327.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.39 PKR 108

358.97%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.10 PKR 4,457

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 334

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$2.03 PKR 562

1043.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.20 PKR 55.7

1835.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$10.05 PKR 2,781

2388.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$0.94 PKR 259

507.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.37 PKR 104

800.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$3.14 PKR 870

1744.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.19 PKR 329

71.43%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$18.9K PKR 5.2M

98.73%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

68.62%

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

$376 £284

$111 PKR 30.7K

238.67%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$5.70 PKR 1,577

213.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$18.42 PKR 5,097

117.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$11.76 PKR 3,256

420.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$7.27 PKR 2,012

189.82%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$4.40 PKR 1,219

307.95%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$48.86 PKR 13.5K

5764.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$1,033 PKR 285.8K

3321.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$17.34 PKR 4,798

568.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$32.45 PKR 8,981

66.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$91.5 PKR 25.3K

38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$36.83 PKR 10.2K

332.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$197 PKR 54.7K

1344.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

2700.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$410 PKR 113.4K

1169.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$231 PKR 63.8K

1515.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$1,196 PKR 331.1K

1489.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$454 PKR 125.6K

1636.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$177 PKR 49.0K

2620.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

22.81

-79.61%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Rawalpindi

$82 16.7% 96.4% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Rawalpindi

$135 27.4% 68.9% $299

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Rawalpindi

$60 12.1% 84.9% $337

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.7% 70.8% $247

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Rawalpindi

$14 2.8% 95.3% $274

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.2% 60.9% $125

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 78.8% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $197 in Rawalpindi. 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 2620% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $16.00 in Rawalpindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $102 – making Rawalpindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

4 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

2,098,231

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Rawalpindi 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $491 in Rawalpindi – roughly 732% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $736 in Rawalpindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 243% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $16.00 in Rawalpindi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rawalpindi, where all-in costs run around $491, than in London at $4,086. In Rawalpindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $491 in Rawalpindi to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rawalpindi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.