Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mehar and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mehar: $447 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mehar
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Mehar Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Mehar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$447

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $447 in Mehar versus $500 in Rawalpindi.

Mehar $447
Rawalpindi $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $667 in Mehar versus $786 in Rawalpindi.

Mehar $667
Rawalpindi $786

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $887 in Mehar versus $1,073 in Rawalpindi.

Mehar $887
Rawalpindi $1,073

Living in Mehar costs roughly 11% less than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mehar 67% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.12 PKR 586

$2.13 PKR 588

-0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.76 PKR 2,977

$16.46 PKR 4,556

-34.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 PKR 1,487

$6.12 PKR 1,695

-12.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 PKR 682

$1.78 PKR 493

38.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 PKR 1,482

$3.39 PKR 938

58.11%

Cappuccino

$1.58 PKR 437

$1.93 PKR 534

-18.13%

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

$0.35 PKR 97.0

$0.43 PKR 119

-18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 PKR 48.28

$0.23 PKR 63.5

-26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 231

$0.85 PKR 235

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 PKR 172

$0.59 PKR 163

5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 PKR 311

$1.22 PKR 338

-8.20%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.11 PKR 308

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.71 PKR 1,580

$6.08 PKR 1,684

-6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.57 PKR 712

$3.55 PKR 981

-27.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.03 PKR 1,391

$5.24 PKR 1,451

-4.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.20 PKR 333

-3.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 151

$0.87 PKR 240

-36.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 218

$1.26 PKR 349

-37.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.53 PKR 146

5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.5

$0.39 PKR 107

-23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$0.48 PKR 134

-20.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 115

$0.32 PKR 88.5

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 95.7

$0.43 PKR 118

-18.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 PKR 502

$16.54 PKR 4,577

-89.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 PKR 293

$1.22 PKR 337

-13.11%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 PKR 657

$2.52 PKR 696

-5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 PKR 559

$2.01 PKR 555

0.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.3

$0.20 PKR 55.2

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.77 PKR 2,703

$9.70 PKR 2,685

0.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 PKR 304

$0.86 PKR 239

27.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.37 PKR 103

91.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 PKR 453

$3.15 PKR 872

-47.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.24 PKR 344

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

$22.1K PKR 6.1M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

17.96%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

3.00%

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

$101 PKR 28.0K

$114 PKR 31.5K

-10.86%

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

$5.71 PKR 1,581

$5.84 PKR 1,616

-2.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.30 PKR 3,958

$18.80 PKR 5,203

-23.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.17 PKR 4,199

$12.23 PKR 3,385

24.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 PKR 2,191

$7.45 PKR 2,063

6.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 PKR 1,215

$4.26 PKR 1,180

3.05%

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

$42.99 PKR 11.9K

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

-11.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,021 PKR 282.7K

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

-1.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.60 PKR 4,595

$17.45 PKR 4,831

-4.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.60 PKR 6,531

$32.71 PKR 9,054

-27.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 PKR 18.8K

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

-26.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.37 PKR 9,235

$35.95 PKR 9,949

-7.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.5K

$198 PKR 54.8K

-35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.4 PKR 21.4K

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

-6.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 PKR 69.0K

$417 PKR 115.3K

-40.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 PKR 41.8K

$223 PKR 61.8K

-32.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$949 PKR 262.6K

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

-20.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 PKR 133.8K

$450 PKR 124.5K

7.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$109 PKR 30.0K

$175 PKR 48.5K

-38.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

-43.01%

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

Last update for Mehar: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mehar

$121 27.1%

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7% 14% $17

Groceries & Markets

Mehar

$91 20.5%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6% 12.5% $11

Accommodation & Living

Mehar

$77 17.3%

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6% 7.4% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mehar

$64 14.2%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 26.4% $17

Eating Out

Mehar

$54 12.1%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2% 13% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Mehar

$24 5.4%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 13.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Mehar

$15 3.4%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 13% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Mehar and $198 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawalpindi pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Mehar vs $16.00 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $91.0 vs $103 per month, with Mehar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Mehar

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

Same time as Mehar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mehar Rawalpindi 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mehar
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

Mehar vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mehar wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Rawalpindi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mehar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Rawalpindi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $128 in Mehar versus $198 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $447 per month in Mehar versus $500 in Rawalpindi – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mehar runs roughly 1% less than in Rawalpindi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Mehar 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.

Expats usually find Mehar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.