Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Dera Ghazi Khan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dera Ghazi Khan: $413 a month against $504 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Dera Ghazi Khan
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Dera Ghazi Khan Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Dera Ghazi Khan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Dera Ghazi Khan

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 Dera Ghazi Khan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Rawalpindi versus $413 in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Rawalpindi $504
Dera Ghazi Khan $413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Rawalpindi versus $645 in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Rawalpindi $787
Dera Ghazi Khan $645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,069 in Rawalpindi versus $877 in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Rawalpindi $1,069
Dera Ghazi Khan $877

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 22% more expensive than in Dera Ghazi Khan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Dera Ghazi Khan 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 584

$1.79 PKR 495

17.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.10 PKR 4,450

$10.92 PKR 3,019

47.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 PKR 1,678

$5.35 PKR 1,479

13.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 491

$2.51 PKR 694

-29.08%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 962

$2.23 PKR 617

56.05%

Cappuccino

$2.01 PKR 555

$1.51 PKR 417

33.11%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.48 PKR 133

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.1

$0.29 PKR 81.5

-20.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.77 PKR 213

12.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.60 PKR 167

-1.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.24 PKR 343

-2.42%

Eggs

$1.10 PKR 303

$1.25 PKR 345

-12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,728

$8.67 PKR 2,398

-27.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 982

$2.50 PKR 691

42.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.94 PKR 1,365

$4.13 PKR 1,143

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.11 PKR 307

8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.66 PKR 181

31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$0.60 PKR 166

101.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.64 PKR 176

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.30 PKR 83.1

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.48 PKR 132

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.44 PKR 121

-29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.40 PKR 112

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,546

$0.56 PKR 154

2835.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

$0.56 PKR 154

107.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 666

$0.74 PKR 204

225.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 564

$1.45 PKR 402

40.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.8

$0.16 PKR 43.82

18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 PKR 2,780

$9.35 PKR 2,586

7.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.10 PKR 305

-20.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$1.10 PKR 305

-68.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 PKR 859

$2.96 PKR 818

5.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 342

$0.92 PKR 254

34.78%

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

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

-17.31%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

1.50%

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

$115 PKR 31.7K

$66.7 PKR 18.4K

71.82%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,550

$5.46 PKR 1,509

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 PKR 5,073

$14.17 PKR 3,916

29.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.01 PKR 3,319

$13.91 PKR 3,845

-13.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.28 PKR 2,014

$6.97 PKR 1,926

4.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,174

$7.26 PKR 2,008

-41.46%

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

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

$26.00 PKR 7,188

87.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,056 PKR 292.0K

$2,035 PKR 562.7K

-48.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.54 PKR 4,848

$19.20 PKR 5,307

-8.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.61 PKR 9,014

$26.81 PKR 7,412

21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

$55.2 PKR 15.3K

69.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.98 PKR 9,947

$30.05 PKR 8,306

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 PKR 50.5K

$146 PKR 40.5K

24.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

$72.6 PKR 20.1K

20.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 PKR 109.4K

$279 PKR 77.0K

42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PKR 61.2K

$166 PKR 45.8K

33.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 PKR 278.4K

$830 PKR 229.6K

21.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$434 PKR 120.1K

$493 PKR 136.3K

-11.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$174 PKR 48.0K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Dera Ghazi Khan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$86 20.9% 37.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$98 23.8% 3.7% $3.8

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$73 17.6% 16.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$81 16%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$59 14.3% 27% $22

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$52 12.5% 16.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$28 6.9% 38.7% $7.9

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Dera Ghazi Khan

$17 4% 23.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $183 in Rawalpindi and $146 in Dera Ghazi Khan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Rawalpindi vs $11 in Dera Ghazi Khan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $98 per month, with Dera Ghazi Khan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Dera Ghazi Khan

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

399,064

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rawalpindi Dera Ghazi Khan 460 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 Dera Ghazi Khan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $504 in Rawalpindi and $413 in Dera Ghazi Khan, so Dera Ghazi Khan is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $756 in Rawalpindi and $619 in Dera Ghazi Khan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $183 in Rawalpindi versus $146 in Dera Ghazi Khan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dera Ghazi Khan runs roughly 7% less than in Rawalpindi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $49 in Rawalpindi versus $26 in Dera Ghazi Khan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Dera Ghazi Khan 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 Dera Ghazi Khan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.