Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panaji and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Panaji: $434 a month against $607 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Panaji, India
Islamabad, Pakistan
Panaji
🇮🇳 India
$434
/mo nomad
Islamabad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$607
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panaji and in Islamabad

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

A single person spends $434 per month in Panaji vs $607 in Islamabad, rent included.

  • Panaji $434
  • Islamabad $607

A couple spends around $691 per month in Panaji vs $948 in Islamabad, rent included.

  • Panaji $691
  • Islamabad $948

A family of three spends $948 per month in Panaji vs $1,289 in Islamabad, rent included.

  • Panaji $948
  • Islamabad $1,289

Panaji is about 28% cheaper than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Panaji and Islamabad are more affordable than the global median – Panaji 68% lower, Islamabad 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.60 ₹248
$3.50 PKR 969
-25.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.51 ₹1,477
$22.76 PKR 6,298
-31.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.75 ₹357
$5.37 PKR 1,487
-30.17%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.58 PKR 991
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.82 PKR 1,887
-
Cappuccino
$1.70 ₹162
$2.56 PKR 708
-33.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₹44.37
$0.32 PKR 87.2
46.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ₹16.26
$0.21 PKR 58.0
-19.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.07 ₹102
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ₹173
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.69 ₹65.3
$0.98 PKR 271
-29.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.48 ₹46.15
$0.71 PKR 198
-32.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 ₹70.4
$1.30 PKR 358
-43.08%
Eggs
$0.92 ₹88.1
$1.21 PKR 334
-23.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.46 ₹710
$6.05 PKR 1,673
23.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.50 ₹333
$3.05 PKR 844
14.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$5.38 PKR 1,488
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.50 ₹238
$1.33 PKR 369
87.97%
Banana (1kg)
$0.81 ₹77.1
$0.86 PKR 239
-5.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₹122
$1.07 PKR 295
19.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.39 ₹37.41
$0.52 PKR 144
-25.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.36 ₹33.82
$0.27 PKR 73.7
33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 ₹39.35
$0.39 PKR 107
5.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 ₹81.8
$0.28 PKR 76.7
207.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.36 ₹34.65
$0.43 PKR 118
-16.28%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.99 PKR 550
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.24 PKR 343
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.61 PKR 723
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.77 ₹359
$2.36 PKR 654
59.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.46 ₹710
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 ₹97.5
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 ₹294
-
-
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$4.33 ₹413
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 ₹17.51
$0.17 PKR 45.76
5.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.40 ₹609
$21.58 PKR 5,970
-70.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.33 ₹31.55
$1.24 PKR 342
-73.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.55 ₹52.2
$0.74 PKR 206
-25.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.15 ₹204
$1.61 PKR 446
33.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 ₹103
$1.31 PKR 364
-17.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.7K ₹1.6M
$54.9K PKR 15.2M
-69.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K ₹2.3M
$23.7K PKR 6.5M
4.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$21.35 ₹2,033
$104 PKR 28.7K
-79.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.56 ₹339
$6.11 PKR 1,690
-41.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.80 ₹838
$17.21 PKR 4,762
-48.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.16 ₹2,586
$33.65 PKR 9,310
-19.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.13 ₹298
$8.52 PKR 2,359
-63.26%
Cinema Ticket
$2.84 ₹270
$4.91 PKR 1,359
-42.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$54.9 ₹5,223
$326 PKR 90.1K
-83.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,453 ₹138.4K
$4,917 PKR 1.4M
-70.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.39 ₹3,465
$26.22 PKR 7,255
38.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.76 ₹2,453
$35.05 PKR 9,698
-26.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$20.83 ₹1,984
$98.2 PKR 27.2K
-78.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$15.65 ₹1,490
$40.45 PKR 11.2K
-61.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$174 ₹16.5K
$261 PKR 72.1K
-33.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 ₹12.4K
$140 PKR 38.7K
-6.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$348 ₹33.2K
$557 PKR 154.1K
-37.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$258 ₹24.5K
$287 PKR 79.5K
-10.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$925 ₹88.1K
$1,691 PKR 467.8K
-45.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$709 ₹67.5K
$839 PKR 232.2K
-15.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Panaji
Islamabad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$192 ₹18.3K
$385 PKR 106.6K
-50.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.74
13.08
-25.54%

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

Last update for Panaji: October 26, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Panaji
$131
Islamabad
$140 6.9% $9
Groceries & Markets
Panaji
$119
Islamabad
$103 13.1% $16
Eating Out
Panaji
$64
Islamabad
$77 20.2% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Panaji
$44
Islamabad
$90 103% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Panaji
$34
Islamabad
$127 276% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Panaji
$33
Islamabad
$43 32.4% $11
Getting Around
Panaji
$10
Islamabad
$27 166% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $174 in Panaji versus $261 in Islamabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Islamabad are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Panaji versus $23 in Islamabad. Groceries tell a different story – $119 in Panaji vs $103 in Islamabad – so Islamabad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Panaji
🇵🇰 Islamabad
🕒 Local time
23:29 11:29 PM
22:59 10:59 PM
30 min behind Panaji
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
114,759
1,009,832 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Panaji Islamabad 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Panaji
  • Islamabad

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
Panaji vs Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Panaji cheaper than Islamabad?
Yes – Islamabad is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $652 per month in Panaji and $911 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Panaji, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $174 there versus $261 in Islamabad.
How do food prices compare in Panaji and in Islamabad?
Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Islamabad – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is eating out cheaper in Panaji or in Islamabad?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Panaji and $23 in Islamabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough for either Panaji or Islamabad?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $434 in Panaji and $607 in Islamabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Panaji or Islamabad more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Panaji – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Panaji. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Islamabad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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