Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahawalpur: $290 a month against $498 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Bahawalpur
Learn more

Bahawalpur Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Bahawalpur

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Bahawalpur

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 Bahawalpur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $498 in Rawalpindi versus $290 in Bahawalpur.

Rawalpindi $498
Bahawalpur $290

Estimated couple costs with rent: $784 in Rawalpindi versus $504 in Bahawalpur.

Rawalpindi $784
Bahawalpur $504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,070 in Rawalpindi versus $717 in Bahawalpur.

Rawalpindi $1,070
Bahawalpur $717

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 72% more expensive than in Bahawalpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Bahawalpur 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 PKR 565

$1.80 PKR 498

13.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.20 PKR 4,484

$7.39 PKR 2,047

119.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 PKR 1,602

$4.54 PKR 1,256

27.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

$2.60 PKR 719

-31.54%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PKR 962

$2.20 PKR 609

57.73%

Cappuccino

$1.94 PKR 537

$1.51 PKR 417

28.48%

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

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.31 PKR 84.6

41.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.3

$0.21 PKR 58.0

9.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 249

$0.55 PKR 151

63.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.56 PKR 154

5.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.02 PKR 283

19.61%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 316

$0.89 PKR 247

28.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 PKR 1,765

$5.34 PKR 1,477

19.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 PKR 935

$2.60 PKR 719

30.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 PKR 1,446

$4.17 PKR 1,155

25.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.06 PKR 292

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 PKR 245

$0.52 PKR 144

71.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$0.56 PKR 156

117.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.53 PKR 146

5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.7

$0.30 PKR 84.3

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.47 PKR 130

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 91.5

$0.62 PKR 172

-46.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.37 PKR 103

13.51%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,551

$0.56 PKR 155

2835.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 335

$0.53 PKR 145

128.30%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 677

$0.70 PKR 193

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 PKR 548

$1.41 PKR 389

40.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 46.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.08 PKR 2,791

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.09 PKR 302

-19.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.8

$1.10 PKR 304

-68.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 PKR 856

$2.86 PKR 791

8.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.20 PKR 333

2.50%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

-21.29%

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

$24.5K PKR 6.8M

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

13.24%

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

$115 PKR 31.8K

$68.0 PKR 18.8K

68.77%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,590

$4.60 PKR 1,274

24.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,204

$11.58 PKR 3,206

62.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.17 PKR 3,369

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.40 PKR 2,048

$10.67 PKR 2,953

-30.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 PKR 1,211

$7.09 PKR 1,963

-38.22%

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

$49.65 PKR 13.7K

$23.83 PKR 6,596

108.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,044 PKR 288.9K

$646 PKR 178.7K

61.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.65 PKR 4,886

$16.54 PKR 4,578

6.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 PKR 8,862

$21.85 PKR 6,047

46.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 PKR 25.9K

$53.5 PKR 14.8K

74.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.64 PKR 9,863

$29.37 PKR 8,127

21.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 PKR 56.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.6 PKR 22.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 PKR 115.6K

$252 PKR 69.8K

65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 PKR 61.5K

$126 PKR 34.8K

76.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,197 PKR 331.2K

$3,483 PKR 964.1K

-65.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$451 PKR 124.8K

$758 PKR 209.8K

-40.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$138 PKR 38.1K

25.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

11.83

92.81%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bahawalpur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 28%

Bahawalpur

$84 29% 39.6% $55

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.7%

Bahawalpur

$82 28.4% 20.1% $21

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$82 16.4%

Bahawalpur

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Bahawalpur

$55 18.8% 32.2% $26

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$60 12%

Bahawalpur

$48 16.6% 19.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Bahawalpur

$14 * 4.9% 32.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Bahawalpur

$6.6 * 2.3% 50.8% $6.8

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

Cost Breakdown

Rawalpindi pays 25% 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: $16.00 in Rawalpindi vs $7.00 in Bahawalpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $82.0 per month, with Bahawalpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Bahawalpur

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

762,111

💱 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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Rawalpindi Bahawalpur 480 km

From you

Rawalpindi
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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 Bahawalpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bahawalpur wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Rawalpindi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bahawalpur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Rawalpindi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Rawalpindi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $498 per month in Rawalpindi versus $290 in Bahawalpur – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bahawalpur 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 Bahawalpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.