Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Chengalpattu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengalpattu: $341 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Chengalpattu
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Chengalpattu Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Chengalpattu

🇮🇳 India

$341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Chengalpattu

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Rawalpindi vs $341 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Rawalpindi $500
Chengalpattu $341

A couple spends around $786 per month in Rawalpindi vs $531 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Rawalpindi $786
Chengalpattu $531

A family of three spends $1,073 per month in Rawalpindi vs $721 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Rawalpindi $1,073
Chengalpattu $721

Rawalpindi costs about 46% more than Chengalpattu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rawalpindi and Chengalpattu are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Chengalpattu 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.03 ₹97.7

106.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.46 PKR 4,556

$9.24 ₹878

78.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$2.97 ₹282

106.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 PKR 938

Cappuccino

$1.93 PKR 534

$1.67 ₹158

15.57%

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

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.41 ₹39.05

4.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.5

$0.20 ₹18.97

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ₹174

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 ₹283

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 PKR 235

$0.66 ₹62.7

28.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$0.45 ₹42.65

31.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 338

$0.53 ₹50.3

130.19%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 308

$0.96 ₹91.1

15.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 PKR 1,684

$4.38 ₹416

38.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 981

$2.80 ₹266

26.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 PKR 1,451

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.83 ₹174

-34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.64 ₹60.5

35.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 349

$0.95 ₹90.0

32.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.45 ₹42.62

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.32 ₹30.13

21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 134

$0.40 ₹37.54

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 PKR 88.5

$0.46 ₹43.97

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.31 ₹29.77

38.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.54 PKR 4,577

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 337

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 PKR 696

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 PKR 555

$5.13 ₹487

-60.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ₹395

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₹197

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₹288

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

$3.34 ₹317

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.25 ₹23.46

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 PKR 2,685

$7.06 ₹671

37.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 239

$0.88 ₹83.5

-2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.25 ₹23.68

48.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 PKR 872

$1.61 ₹153

95.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.08 ₹103

14.81%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

50.89%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$19.4K ₹1.8M

21.96%

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

$114 PKR 31.5K

$34.67 ₹3,292

227.83%

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

$5.84 PKR 1,616

$3.38 ₹321

72.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,203

$6.68 ₹634

181.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.23 PKR 3,385

$14.69 ₹1,395

-16.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 PKR 2,063

$4.80 ₹455

55.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,180

$2.98 ₹283

42.95%

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

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

$47.19 ₹4,481

3.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

$1,428 ₹135.6K

-27.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.45 PKR 4,831

$21.59 ₹2,050

-19.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.71 PKR 9,054

$23.24 ₹2,207

40.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

$38.95 ₹3,699

138.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 PKR 9,949

$28.68 ₹2,723

25.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 PKR 54.8K

$96.8 ₹9,190

104.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

$65.0 ₹6,177

27.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 PKR 115.3K

$185 ₹17.6K

124.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 PKR 61.8K

$137 ₹13.0K

63.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

$713 ₹67.7K

67.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$450 PKR 124.5K

$454 ₹43.1K

-1.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

$580 ₹55.1K

-69.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

8.75

160.69%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chengalpattu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7%

Chengalpattu

$45 13.1% 67.7% $94

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6%

Chengalpattu

$95 27.9% 7.3% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6%

Chengalpattu

$65 19.1% 21.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Chengalpattu

$51 14.8% 37.1% $30

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2%

Chengalpattu

$55 16% 10.5% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Chengalpattu

$21 6.1% 0.5% $0.1

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Chengalpattu

$10 3% 23.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $198 in Rawalpindi versus $96.8 in Chengalpattu. 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 231% higher in Chengalpattu, 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 Chengalpattu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $95.0 – making Chengalpattu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇮🇳 Chengalpattu

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

22:46 10:46 PM

30 min ahead of Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

65,689

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Rawalpindi Chengalpattu 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawalpindi
Chengalpattu

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 Chengalpattu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rawalpindi is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $750 per month in Rawalpindi and $512 in Chengalpattu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 37% less in Chengalpattu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $48.61 per month in Rawalpindi and $47.19 in Chengalpattu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $500 in Rawalpindi and $341 in Chengalpattu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chengalpattu – 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 Chengalpattu. 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.