Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucknow and Lahore

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $396 a month against $520 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lucknow, India
Lahore, Pakistan
Lucknow
🇮🇳 India
$396
/mo nomad
Lahore
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$520
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lucknow and in Lahore

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lucknow and in Lahore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $396 in Lucknow versus $520 in Lahore.

  • Lucknow $396
  • Lahore $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $621 in Lucknow versus $787 in Lahore.

  • Lucknow $621
  • Lahore $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $846 in Lucknow versus $1,053 in Lahore.

  • Lucknow $846
  • Lahore $1,053

Living in Lucknow costs roughly 24% less than in Lahore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lucknow 71% lower, Lahore 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 ₹176
$2.59 PKR 716
-28.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.62 ₹1,009
$14.71 PKR 4,071
-27.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.23 ₹307
$5.80 PKR 1,604
-44.31%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.60 PKR 995
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.29 PKR 1,462
-
Cappuccino
$1.57 ₹149
$2.50 PKR 693
-37.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ₹41.97
$0.40 PKR 111
10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₹12.29
$0.26 PKR 72.2
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.56 ₹148
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₹214
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.70 ₹66.6
$0.98 PKR 271
-28.57%
White Bread (500g)
$0.47 ₹44.92
$0.74 PKR 206
-36.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.59 ₹55.9
$1.18 PKR 327
-50.00%
Eggs
$1.02 ₹96.4
$1.20 PKR 333
-15.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.32 ₹315
$6.14 PKR 1,699
-45.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.51 ₹239
$2.54 PKR 703
-1.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$4.74 PKR 1,311
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.79 ₹170
$1.19 PKR 330
50.42%
Banana (1kg)
$0.66 ₹63.1
$0.65 PKR 180
1.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.96 ₹91.0
$0.83 PKR 230
15.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.47 ₹44.75
$0.64 PKR 176
-26.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.11
$0.29 PKR 78.9
3.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.45
$0.36 PKR 98.9
16.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 ₹39.88
$0.48 PKR 133
-12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.36
$0.35 PKR 96.8
-14.29%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.05 PKR 291
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.65 PKR 179
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.65 PKR 457
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.90 ₹465
$2.15 PKR 594
127.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.57 ₹814
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 ₹158
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 ₹249
-
-
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.72 ₹543
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ₹41.10
$0.18 PKR 50.6
138.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.07 ₹861
$6.42 PKR 1,777
41.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.98 ₹93.4
$0.93 PKR 256
5.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 ₹18.95
$0.70 PKR 194
-71.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₹108
$1.77 PKR 491
-35.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ₹108
$1.39 PKR 384
-17.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
-38.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K ₹2.1M
$24.3K PKR 6.7M
-9.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.2 ₹5,149
$126 PKR 35.0K
-57.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.74 ₹356
$5.47 PKR 1,513
-31.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.66 ₹822
$16.39 PKR 4,535
-47.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.88 ₹1,508
$20.48 PKR 5,665
-22.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ₹635
$11.32 PKR 3,131
-40.90%
Cinema Ticket
$3.20 ₹304
$4.35 PKR 1,203
-26.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$38.90 ₹3,693
$74.0 PKR 20.5K
-47.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$979 ₹92.9K
$2,052 PKR 567.6K
-52.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.41 ₹2,223
$18.12 PKR 5,014
29.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.07 ₹2,381
$28.03 PKR 7,757
-10.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$38.75 ₹3,679
$74.5 PKR 20.6K
-47.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$25.60 ₹2,431
$33.44 PKR 9,252
-23.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$133 ₹12.6K
$167 PKR 46.3K
-20.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$87.7 ₹8,324
$95.1 PKR 26.3K
-7.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$356 ₹33.8K
$359 PKR 99.2K
-0.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$212 ₹20.1K
$206 PKR 57.1K
2.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,124 ₹106.7K
$827 PKR 228.9K
35.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$606 ₹57.5K
$568 PKR 157.2K
6.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lucknow
Lahore
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$331 ₹31.5K
$198 PKR 54.9K
67.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.53
14.05
-39.29%

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

Last update for Lucknow: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lahore: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Lucknow
$98
Lahore
$96 1.4% $1.3
Accommodation & Living
Lucknow
$88
Lahore
$95 8.5% $7.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lucknow
$67
Lahore
$148 123% $82
Eating Out
Lucknow
$58
Lahore
$71 21.9% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Lucknow
$51
Lahore
$69 36.5% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Lucknow
$22
Lahore
$29 30.9% $6.9
Getting Around
Lucknow
$13
Lahore
$12 9.5% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Lucknow and $167 in Lahore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lucknow pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Lucknow vs $15 in Lahore. Groceries flip the comparison at $98 vs $96, with Lahore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Lucknow
🇵🇰 Lahore
🕒 Local time
14:09 2:09 PM
13:39 1:39 PM
30 min behind Lucknow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,588,455
11,126,285
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lucknow Lahore 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lucknow
  • Lahore

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
Lucknow vs Lahore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lucknow and in Lahore?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $396 in Lucknow and $520 in Lahore, so Lucknow is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lucknow or Lahore?
Average pay runs 67% higher in Lucknow, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lucknow and in Lahore?
Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Lucknow versus $167 in Lahore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Lucknow and in Lahore?
A monthly transit pass in Lahore runs roughly 29% less than in Lucknow. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lucknow or Lahore?
All in, you’ll spend $396 per month in Lucknow versus $520 in Lahore – Lucknow is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $1,000 go in Lucknow compared to Lahore?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Lucknow gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Where should families live: Lucknow or Lahore?
For families, Lucknow is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lahore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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