Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nowshera and Rawalpindi

For one person, living costs are similar in Nowshera and in Rawalpindi: $509 and $500 a month, rent and utilities included.

25

Cost of Living Index in Nowshera
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Nowshera Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index

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Nowshera

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$509

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Nowshera versus $500 in Rawalpindi.

Nowshera $509
Rawalpindi $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $798 in Nowshera versus $786 in Rawalpindi.

Nowshera $798
Rawalpindi $786

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,087 in Nowshera versus $1,073 in Rawalpindi.

Nowshera $1,087
Rawalpindi $1,073

Living in Nowshera is roughly 2% more expensive than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nowshera 62% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 PKR 976

$2.13 PKR 588

65.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.17 PKR 6,413

$16.46 PKR 4,556

40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 PKR 1,515

$6.12 PKR 1,695

-10.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 PKR 986

$1.78 PKR 493

100.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 PKR 1,904

$3.39 PKR 938

102.95%

Cappuccino

$2.60 PKR 720

$1.93 PKR 534

34.72%

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

$0.33 PKR 90.0

$0.43 PKR 119

-23.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.1

$0.23 PKR 63.5

-8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 PKR 278

$0.85 PKR 235

18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 PKR 215

$0.59 PKR 163

32.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.22 PKR 338

2.46%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.11 PKR 308

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.07 PKR 1,680

$6.08 PKR 1,684

-0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 PKR 843

$3.55 PKR 981

-14.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.42 PKR 1,499

$5.24 PKR 1,451

3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.20 PKR 333

6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.87 PKR 240

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 297

$1.26 PKR 349

-15.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.53 PKR 146

5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.5

$0.39 PKR 107

-25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.1

$0.48 PKR 134

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 PKR 83.0

$0.32 PKR 88.5

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.43 PKR 118

-6.98%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 PKR 503

$16.54 PKR 4,577

-89.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 331

$1.22 PKR 337

-1.64%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 676

$2.52 PKR 696

-3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 PKR 654

$2.01 PKR 555

17.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 44.97

$0.20 PKR 55.2

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.83 PKR 2,721

$9.70 PKR 2,685

1.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 PKR 345

$0.86 PKR 239

45.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.37 PKR 103

89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 PKR 437

$3.15 PKR 872

-49.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 PKR 365

$1.24 PKR 344

6.45%

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

$22.0K PKR 6.1M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

17.62%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

1.59%

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

$101 PKR 27.9K

$114 PKR 31.5K

-11.43%

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

$5.90 PKR 1,632

$5.84 PKR 1,616

1.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.15 PKR 4,747

$18.80 PKR 5,203

-8.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.69 PKR 4,066

$12.23 PKR 3,385

20.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.99 PKR 2,210

$7.45 PKR 2,063

7.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 PKR 1,234

$4.26 PKR 1,180

4.69%

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

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

53.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,043 PKR 288.6K

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.20 PKR 7,252

$17.45 PKR 4,831

50.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 PKR 9,761

$32.71 PKR 9,054

7.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 PKR 26.6K

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.04 PKR 11.1K

$35.95 PKR 9,949

11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 PKR 34.5K

$198 PKR 54.8K

-37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.9 PKR 21.0K

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

-8.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 PKR 71.1K

$417 PKR 115.3K

-38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 PKR 41.6K

$223 PKR 61.8K

-32.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$948 PKR 262.4K

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

-20.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$486 PKR 134.6K

$450 PKR 124.5K

8.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

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 Nowshera: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nowshera

$124 24.3%

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7% 11.8% $15

Groceries & Markets

Nowshera

$104 20.4%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6% 0.7% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Nowshera

$89 17.5%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 9.6% $8.5

Eating Out

Nowshera

$78 15.3%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2% 21.6% $17

Accommodation & Living

Nowshera

$76 14.9%

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6% 9.5% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nowshera

$24 4.6%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 12.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Nowshera

$15 3%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 13.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Nowshera and $198 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Nowshera vs $16.00 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $104 vs $103 per month, with Rawalpindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Nowshera

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

Same time as Nowshera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,131

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

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Nowshera Rawalpindi 110 km

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Nowshera
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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

Nowshera vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nowshera and Rawalpindi differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($509 vs $500 including rent). Rawalpindi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $764 in Nowshera and $750 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: $125 in Nowshera versus $198 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rawalpindi – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $23.00 in Nowshera. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $509 per month in Nowshera versus $500 in Rawalpindi – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nowshera. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.