Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakistan and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $391 a month against $472 in Pakistan, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
Learn more

Pakistan Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$472

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pakistan and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $472 in Pakistan versus $391 in India.

Pakistan $472
India $391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $718 in Pakistan versus $620 in India.

Pakistan $718
India $620

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $964 in Pakistan versus $849 in India.

Pakistan $964
India $849

Internal cost variation is higher in India: monthly costs span $228 to $812, compared to $281–$599 in Pakistan. City choice carries more weight in India.

Living in Pakistan is roughly 21% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Pakistan 65% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$2.14 ₹203

0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,800

$10.52 ₹999

30.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 PKR 1,533

$3.58 ₹340

54.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 PKR 604

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 PKR 1,214

Cappuccino

$1.96 PKR 543

$1.67 ₹158

17.37%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.6

$0.37 ₹35.48

-2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 57.9

$0.15 ₹14.18

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ₹175

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 PKR 227

$0.62 ₹58.8

32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 PKR 173

$0.49 ₹46.73

26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 PKR 329

$0.63 ₹60.1

88.89%

Eggs

$1.18 PKR 326

$0.96 ₹90.7

22.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 PKR 1,483

$4.71 ₹447

13.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.89 PKR 801

$2.92 ₹277

-1.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 PKR 1,383

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 PKR 318

$1.98 ₹188

-41.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 PKR 182

$0.68 ₹64.4

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$1.02 ₹97.2

-18.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$0.46 ₹43.78

15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.34 ₹32.20

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 PKR 115

$0.41 ₹39.00

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.43 ₹40.66

-13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 105

$0.31 ₹29.73

22.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.07 PKR 572

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 297

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 643

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 PKR 608

$4.89 ₹464

-55.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.25 ₹688

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₹162

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₹260

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.25 ₹499

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 44.99

$0.27 ₹25.86

-40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 PKR 2,671

$8.39 ₹797

15.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 237

$1.03 ₹97.8

-16.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.25 ₹23.49

124.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 PKR 607

$1.60 ₹152

36.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 PKR 359

$1.13 ₹107

15.04%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

40.83%

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

$25.4K PKR 7.0M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

26.49%

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

$110 PKR 30.5K

$37.55 ₹3,566

193.45%

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

$5.62 PKR 1,557

$3.47 ₹330

61.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.21 PKR 4,486

$7.15 ₹679

126.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 PKR 4,691

$14.58 ₹1,385

16.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.27 PKR 3,120

$7.21 ₹684

56.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 PKR 1,220

$3.18 ₹302

38.68%

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

$45.68 PKR 12.6K

$56.8 ₹5,391

-19.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,539 PKR 426.1K

$1,651 ₹156.7K

-6.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,853

$22.55 ₹2,141

-22.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.38 PKR 6,472

$24.54 ₹2,330

-4.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 PKR 21.1K

$39.69 ₹3,769

92.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.50 PKR 9,548

$29.84 ₹2,833

15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.5K

$141 ₹13.4K

-1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.9 PKR 22.1K

$89.7 ₹8,515

-10.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 PKR 89.3K

$325 ₹30.9K

-0.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$207 ₹19.7K

-16.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,021 PKR 282.7K

$1,214 ₹115.3K

-15.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$533 PKR 147.6K

$638 ₹60.6K

-16.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$193 PKR 53.3K

$434 ₹41.2K

-55.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.1

8.92

58.07%

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

Last update for Pakistan: October 12, 2026

Last update for India: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakistan

$132 28%

India

$48 12.3% 63.5% $84

Groceries & Markets

Pakistan

$93 19.7%

India

$102 26.2% 10.2% $9.4

Accommodation & Living

Pakistan

$80 16.9%

India

$90 23% 12.3% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pakistan

$68 14.5%

India

$52 13.4% 23.1% $16

Eating Out

Pakistan

$60 12.6%

India

$65 16.7% 9.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Pakistan

$26 5.5%

India

$21 5.4% 18.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Pakistan

$14 3%

India

$12 3% 15.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $125 in Pakistan, $119 in India. Capital cities: $276 in Islamabad vs $267 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $185 in Pakistan, $411 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 5% higher in Pakistan.

Dining out costs 30% more in Pakistan.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in Pakistan.

Salaries are 122% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

30 min ahead of Pakistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,773,700

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pakistan India 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pakistan
India

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

Pakistan vs India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $391 per month in India and $472 in Pakistan, there's a 21% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $125 in Pakistan and $119 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Pakistan it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: India wins on affordability; Pakistan may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.