Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mardan and Rawalpindi

For one person, living costs are similar in Mardan and in Rawalpindi: $502 and $504 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index

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Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $502 in Mardan versus $504 in Rawalpindi.

Mardan $502
Rawalpindi $504

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

Mardan $788
Rawalpindi $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,074 in Mardan versus $1,069 in Rawalpindi.

Mardan $1,074
Rawalpindi $1,069

Monthly costs are close between Mardan and Rawalpindi; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 PKR 978

$2.11 PKR 584

67.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.47 PKR 6,495

$16.10 PKR 4,454

45.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 PKR 1,504

$6.07 PKR 1,680

-10.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 PKR 1,013

$1.78 PKR 492

105.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 PKR 1,872

$3.48 PKR 963

94.54%

Cappuccino

$2.55 PKR 705

$2.01 PKR 556

26.87%

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

$0.34 PKR 94.7

$0.40 PKR 112

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.9

$0.23 PKR 63.1

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.87 PKR 241

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 PKR 216

$0.59 PKR 162

32.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 358

$1.21 PKR 336

6.61%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.10 PKR 303

10.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 PKR 811

$6.25 PKR 1,729

-53.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 PKR 878

$3.55 PKR 983

-10.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.72 PKR 1,029

$4.94 PKR 1,366

-24.70%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.20 PKR 333

-27.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.87 PKR 242

-16.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 286

$1.21 PKR 336

-14.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 96.5

$0.52 PKR 145

-32.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 PKR 74.2

$0.39 PKR 107

-30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.46 PKR 127

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.31 PKR 87.1

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.0

$0.40 PKR 110

-12.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

$16.44 PKR 4,550

-89.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.16 PKR 321

3.45%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 642

$2.41 PKR 667

-3.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 508

$2.04 PKR 564

-9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

$0.19 PKR 53.9

5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.72 PKR 2,966

$10.06 PKR 2,783

6.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 PKR 352

$0.87 PKR 240

45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.35 PKR 95.5

97.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$3.11 PKR 860

-48.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.24 PKR 342

-15.32%

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

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

12.97%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-0.24%

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

$104 PKR 28.7K

$115 PKR 31.7K

-9.63%

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

$6.02 PKR 1,666

$5.61 PKR 1,551

7.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.99 PKR 4,701

$18.35 PKR 5,078

-7.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.89 PKR 3,566

$12.01 PKR 3,322

7.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.04 PKR 2,223

$7.28 PKR 2,015

10.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 PKR 1,353

$4.25 PKR 1,175

15.06%

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

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

-13.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

$1,056 PKR 292.3K

0.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.98 PKR 7,188

$17.54 PKR 4,852

48.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 PKR 9,583

$32.61 PKR 9,022

6.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

$35.98 PKR 9,956

11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.1K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-26.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

-1.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 PKR 73.1K

$396 PKR 109.5K

-33.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.3K

$221 PKR 61.2K

-17.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$865 PKR 239.3K

$1,007 PKR 278.6K

-14.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$578 PKR 159.9K

$434 PKR 120.2K

32.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$174 PKR 48.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

22.81

-42.66%

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

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mardan

$127 25.2%

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5% 9.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Mardan

$89 17.7%

Rawalpindi

$81 16% 8.8% $7.8

Accommodation & Living

Mardan

$86 17.1%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3% 1.4% $1.2

Groceries & Markets

Mardan

$84 16.8%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2% 21.2% $18

Eating Out

Mardan

$77 15.4%

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2% 20.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mardan

$23 4.5%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 9.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Mardan

$16 3.2%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 17.2% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $134 in Mardan and $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Mardan vs $16 in Rawalpindi. Groceries flip the comparison at $84 vs $102, with Mardan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Mardan

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

Same time as Mardan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

358,604

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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Mardan Rawalpindi 110 km

From you

Mardan
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

Mardan vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $753 in Mardan and $756 in Rawalpindi 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 $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rawalpindi runs roughly 6% less than in Mardan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rawalpindi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.