Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mardan and Lahore

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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
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Lahore Living Index

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Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Mardan $502
Lahore $520

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

Mardan $788
Lahore $787

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

Mardan $1,074
Lahore $1,053

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 PKR 978

$2.59 PKR 716

36.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.47 PKR 6,495

$14.71 PKR 4,071

59.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 PKR 1,504

$5.80 PKR 1,604

-6.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 PKR 1,013

$3.60 PKR 995

1.67%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 PKR 1,872

$5.29 PKR 1,462

27.98%

Cappuccino

$2.55 PKR 705

$2.50 PKR 693

2.00%

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

$0.34 PKR 94.7

$0.40 PKR 111

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.9

$0.26 PKR 72.2

-11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.98 PKR 271

-8.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 PKR 216

$0.74 PKR 206

5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 358

$1.18 PKR 327

9.32%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.20 PKR 333

1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 PKR 811

$6.14 PKR 1,699

-52.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 PKR 878

$2.54 PKR 703

24.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.72 PKR 1,029

$4.74 PKR 1,311

-21.52%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.19 PKR 330

-26.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.65 PKR 180

12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 286

$0.83 PKR 230

24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 96.5

$0.64 PKR 176

-45.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 PKR 74.2

$0.29 PKR 78.9

-6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.36 PKR 98.9

5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.48 PKR 133

-41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.0

$0.35 PKR 96.8

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

$1.05 PKR 291

70.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.65 PKR 179

84.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 642

$1.65 PKR 457

40.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 508

$2.15 PKR 594

-14.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

$0.18 PKR 50.6

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.72 PKR 2,966

$6.42 PKR 1,777

66.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 PKR 352

$0.93 PKR 256

36.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.70 PKR 194

-1.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$1.77 PKR 491

-9.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.39 PKR 384

-24.46%

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

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

21.33%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

-3.11%

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

$104 PKR 28.7K

$126 PKR 35.0K

-18.06%

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

$6.02 PKR 1,666

$5.47 PKR 1,513

10.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.99 PKR 4,701

$16.39 PKR 4,535

3.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.89 PKR 3,566

$20.48 PKR 5,665

-37.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.04 PKR 2,223

$11.32 PKR 3,131

-28.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 PKR 1,353

$4.35 PKR 1,203

12.41%

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

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

-43.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

$2,052 PKR 567.6K

-48.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.98 PKR 7,188

$18.12 PKR 5,014

43.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 PKR 9,583

$28.03 PKR 7,757

23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

29.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

$33.44 PKR 9,252

19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.1K

$167 PKR 46.3K

-19.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

$95.1 PKR 26.3K

-9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 PKR 73.1K

$359 PKR 99.2K

-26.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.3K

$206 PKR 57.1K

-11.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$865 PKR 239.3K

$827 PKR 228.9K

4.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$578 PKR 159.9K

$568 PKR 157.2K

1.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 PKR 54.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

14.05

-6.90%

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

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lahore: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mardan

$127 25.2%

Lahore

$148 28.5% 17.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mardan

$89 17.7%

Lahore

$69 13.3% 21.8% $19

Accommodation & Living

Mardan

$86 17.1%

Lahore

$95 18.3% 10.6% $9.1

Groceries & Markets

Mardan

$84 16.8%

Lahore

$96 18.5% 14.3% $12

Eating Out

Mardan

$77 15.4%

Lahore

$71 13.6% 8.6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mardan

$23 4.5%

Lahore

$29 5.6% 28.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Mardan

$16 3.2%

Lahore

$12 2.2% 28.7% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇵🇰 Mardan

🇵🇰 Lahore

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

Same time as Mardan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

358,604

11,126,285

💱 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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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

Mardan vs Lahore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $753 in Mardan and $781 in Lahore 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: $134 in Mardan versus $167 in Lahore. 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.