Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Kakinada

For one person, living is cheaper in Kakinada: $287 a month against $498 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Rawalpindi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$498
/mo nomad
Kakinada
🇮🇳 India
$287
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Kakinada

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Rawalpindi vs $287 in Kakinada, rent included.

  • Rawalpindi $498
  • Kakinada $287

A couple spends around $784 per month in Rawalpindi vs $441 in Kakinada, rent included.

  • Rawalpindi $784
  • Kakinada $441

A family of three spends $1,070 per month in Rawalpindi vs $594 in Kakinada, rent included.

  • Rawalpindi $1,070
  • Kakinada $594

Rawalpindi costs about 74% more than Kakinada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rawalpindi and Kakinada are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Kakinada 79% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.04 PKR 565
$1.04 ₹98.4
96.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.20 PKR 4,484
$8.78 ₹834
84.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.79 PKR 1,602
$3.22 ₹305
79.81%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 PKR 492
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 PKR 962
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.94 PKR 537
$0.50 ₹47.19
288.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 PKR 121
$0.30 ₹28.26
46.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 PKR 63.3
$0.10 ₹9.86
130.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.07 ₹101
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.31 ₹219
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 PKR 249
$0.58 ₹54.7
55.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.59 PKR 162
$0.50 ₹47.26
18.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 PKR 337
$0.56 ₹53.5
117.86%
Eggs
$1.14 PKR 316
$0.74 ₹70.2
54.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.38 PKR 1,765
$3.84 ₹365
66.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.38 PKR 935
$2.55 ₹243
32.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.22 PKR 1,446
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.14 PKR 316
$1.81 ₹172
-37.02%
Banana (1kg)
$0.89 PKR 245
$0.72 ₹68.1
23.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 PKR 337
$0.76 ₹71.9
60.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 PKR 156
$0.46 ₹43.87
21.74%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 PKR 97.7
$0.36 ₹34.11
-2.78%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 PKR 127
$0.32 ₹30.35
43.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 PKR 91.5
$0.62 ₹58.7
-46.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 PKR 117
$0.28 ₹26.16
50.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$16.44 PKR 4,551
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 PKR 335
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 PKR 677
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 PKR 548
$4.08 ₹388
-51.47%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.37 ₹700
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.84 ₹175
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.04 ₹289
-
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$3.25 ₹309
-
🚌 Getting Around
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 PKR 46.63
$0.32 ₹30.70
-46.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.08 PKR 2,791
$11.35 ₹1,078
-11.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.88 PKR 244
$1.22 ₹116
-27.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 PKR 95.8
$0.21 ₹19.49
66.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 PKR 856
$2.11 ₹200
46.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 PKR 341
$1.12 ₹107
9.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K PKR 5.2M
$15.5K ₹1.5M
20.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K PKR 6.8M
$20.2K ₹1.9M
21.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 PKR 31.8K
$32.77 ₹3,112
250.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.74 PKR 1,590
$3.11 ₹295
84.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.80 PKR 5,204
$5.28 ₹502
256.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$12.17 PKR 3,369
$15.89 ₹1,509
-23.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.40 PKR 2,048
$2.15 ₹204
244.19%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 PKR 1,211
$2.03 ₹193
115.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$49.65 PKR 13.7K
$28.36 ₹2,693
75.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,044 PKR 288.9K
$1,234 ₹117.1K
-15.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.65 PKR 4,886
$9.68 ₹919
82.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.02 PKR 8,862
$7.83 ₹743
308.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 PKR 25.9K
$15.81 ₹1,502
491.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$35.64 PKR 9,863
$13.23 ₹1,257
169.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$204 PKR 56.5K
$71.5 ₹6,793
185.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$81.6 PKR 22.6K
$57.9 ₹5,494
41.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$418 PKR 115.6K
$170 ₹16.2K
145.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$222 PKR 61.5K
$116 ₹11.0K
91.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,197 PKR 331.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$451 PKR 124.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rawalpindi
Kakinada
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$173 PKR 47.8K
$540 ₹51.3K
-68.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
22.81
9
153.44%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kakinada: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rawalpindi
$139
Kakinada
$41 70.4% $98
Groceries & Markets
Rawalpindi
$103
Kakinada
$96 6.4% $6.6
Accommodation & Living
Rawalpindi
$82
Kakinada
$58 29.1% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Rawalpindi
$80
Kakinada
$21 74% $59
Eating Out
Rawalpindi
$60
Kakinada
$35 40.6% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Rawalpindi
$21
Kakinada
$20 4.6% $1
Getting Around
Rawalpindi
$13
Kakinada
$15 11.4% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Rawalpindi versus $71.5 in Kakinada. 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 213% higher in Kakinada, 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 Kakinada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $96.0 – making Kakinada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Rawalpindi
🇮🇳 Kakinada
🕒 Local time
12:53 12:53 PM
13:23 1:23 PM
30 min ahead of Rawalpindi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,098,231
384,182
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rawalpindi Kakinada 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rawalpindi
  • Kakinada

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 Kakinada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rawalpindi or Kakinada?
Rawalpindi costs about 74% more than Kakinada, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Rawalpindi and in Kakinada?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $748 per month in Rawalpindi and $430 in Kakinada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Rawalpindi or Kakinada?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kakinada, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Rawalpindi and in Kakinada?
Kindergarten costs $49.65 per month in Rawalpindi and $28.36 in Kakinada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Rawalpindi or in Kakinada?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Rawalpindi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in Rawalpindi or in Kakinada?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $498 in Rawalpindi and $287 in Kakinada, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kakinada – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Rawalpindi compared to Kakinada?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Rawalpindi or to Kakinada?
If budget matters most, go with Kakinada. 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.

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