Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Abbottabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Abbottabad: $315 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Abbottabad
Learn more

Abbottabad Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Abbottabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Abbottabad

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Rawalpindi vs $315 in Abbottabad, rent included.

Rawalpindi $500
Abbottabad $315

A couple spends around $786 per month in Rawalpindi vs $469 in Abbottabad, rent included.

Rawalpindi $786
Abbottabad $469

A family of three spends $1,073 per month in Rawalpindi vs $624 in Abbottabad, rent included.

Rawalpindi $1,073
Abbottabad $624

Rawalpindi costs about 59% more than Abbottabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rawalpindi and Abbottabad are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Abbottabad 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.84 PKR 508

15.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.46 PKR 4,556

$8.79 PKR 2,434

87.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$5.28 PKR 1,462

15.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

$2.22 PKR 614

-19.82%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 PKR 938

$1.86 PKR 515

82.26%

Cappuccino

$1.93 PKR 534

$1.16 PKR 321

66.38%

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

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.32 PKR 87.8

34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.5

$0.17 PKR 47.75

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 PKR 235

$0.82 PKR 228

3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$0.97 PKR 269

-39.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 338

$1.08 PKR 300

12.96%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 308

$1.20 PKR 332

-7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 PKR 1,684

$3.49 PKR 967

74.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 981

$2.33 PKR 646

52.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 PKR 1,451

$5.86 PKR 1,623

-10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.07 PKR 295

12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.92 PKR 253

-5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 349

$0.86 PKR 239

46.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.46 PKR 128

15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.26 PKR 72.1

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 134

$0.47 PKR 131

2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 PKR 88.5

$0.53 PKR 146

-39.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.32 PKR 89.4

34.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.54 PKR 4,577

$5.01 PKR 1,387

230.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 337

$0.75 PKR 208

62.67%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 PKR 696

$0.69 PKR 191

265.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 PKR 555

$1.63 PKR 452

23.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.21 PKR 57.1

-4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 PKR 2,685

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.10 PKR 305

-21.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.35 PKR 96.0

5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 PKR 872

$1.49 PKR 412

111.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.23 PKR 341

0.81%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$21.9K PKR 6.1M

-14.50%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

2.37%

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

$114 PKR 31.5K

$55.2 PKR 15.3K

105.83%

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

$5.84 PKR 1,616

$3.55 PKR 984

64.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,203

$12.75 PKR 3,528

47.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.23 PKR 3,385

$9.23 PKR 2,556

32.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 PKR 2,063

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,180

$1.95 PKR 541

118.46%

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

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

$27.09 PKR 7,498

79.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

$533 PKR 147.5K

94.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.45 PKR 4,831

$7.44 PKR 2,060

134.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.71 PKR 9,054

$7.10 PKR 1,965

360.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

$50.1 PKR 13.9K

85.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 PKR 9,949

$10.73 PKR 2,969

235.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 PKR 54.8K

$81.2 PKR 22.5K

143.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

$55.3 PKR 15.3K

50.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 PKR 115.3K

$164 PKR 45.4K

154.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 PKR 61.8K

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

168.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$450 PKR 124.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

$187 PKR 51.7K

-6.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

107.36%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Abbottabad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7%

Abbottabad

$72 22.7% 48.3% $67

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6%

Abbottabad

$91 28.9% 11.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6%

Abbottabad

$55 17.6% 33.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Abbottabad

$34 10.8% 57.9% $47

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2%

Abbottabad

$46 14.7% 24.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Abbottabad

$13 4.2% 36.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Abbottabad

$3.7 * 1.2% 72.3% $9.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $198 in Rawalpindi versus $81.2 in Abbottabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Abbottabad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Rawalpindi versus $9.00 in Abbottabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $91.0 – making Abbottabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Abbottabad

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

208,491

💱 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

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Between locations

Rawalpindi Abbottabad 63 km

From you

Rawalpindi
Abbottabad

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

Rawalpindi vs Abbottabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi costs about 59% more than Abbottabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $750 per month in Rawalpindi and $473 in Abbottabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abbottabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Rawalpindi and $9.00 in Abbottabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Rawalpindi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $500 in Rawalpindi and $315 in Abbottabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Abbottabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Abbottabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rawalpindi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.