Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Karak

For one person, living is cheaper in Karak: $434 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Karak
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Karak Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Karak

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Karak

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Rawalpindi vs $434 in Karak, rent included.

Rawalpindi $500
Karak $434

A couple spends around $786 per month in Rawalpindi vs $636 in Karak, rent included.

Rawalpindi $786
Karak $636

A family of three spends $1,073 per month in Rawalpindi vs $838 in Karak, rent included.

Rawalpindi $1,073
Karak $838

Rawalpindi costs about 15% more than Karak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rawalpindi and Karak are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Karak 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$0.70 PKR 193

204.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.46 PKR 4,556

$7.41 PKR 2,050

122.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$5.38 PKR 1,489

13.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

$0.73 PKR 203

143.84%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 PKR 938

$7.01 PKR 1,939

-51.64%

Cappuccino

$1.93 PKR 534

$0.57 PKR 157

238.60%

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

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.36 PKR 98.5

19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.5

$0.23 PKR 63.9

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 PKR 235

$0.93 PKR 258

-8.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$0.53 PKR 145

11.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 338

$1.05 PKR 292

16.19%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 308

$1.10 PKR 304

0.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 PKR 1,684

$1.78 PKR 492

241.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 981

$2.93 PKR 810

21.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 PKR 1,451

$4.41 PKR 1,221

18.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.69 PKR 192

73.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.55 PKR 153

58.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 349

$0.75 PKR 207

68.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.52 PKR 144

1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.29 PKR 80.5

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 134

$0.38 PKR 106

26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 PKR 88.5

$0.17 PKR 48.32

88.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.24 PKR 65.8

79.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.54 PKR 4,577

$1.86 PKR 515

789.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.19 PKR 331

2.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 PKR 696

$2.35 PKR 652

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 PKR 555

$2.33 PKR 645

-13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.19 PKR 51.7

5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 PKR 2,685

$9.86 PKR 2,730

-1.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.23 PKR 341

-30.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.70 PKR 194

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 PKR 872

$1.58 PKR 438

99.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.38 PKR 381

-10.14%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

-14.03%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

-2.79%

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

$114 PKR 31.5K

$101 PKR 27.9K

12.91%

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

$5.84 PKR 1,616

$6.03 PKR 1,669

-3.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,203

$16.84 PKR 4,660

11.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.23 PKR 3,385

$14.67 PKR 4,061

-16.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 PKR 2,063

$8.25 PKR 2,282

-9.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,180

$4.24 PKR 1,172

0.47%

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

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

$76.0 PKR 21.0K

-36.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

$1,060 PKR 293.3K

-2.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.45 PKR 4,831

$26.54 PKR 7,346

-34.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.71 PKR 9,054

$35.24 PKR 9,753

-7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

$97.5 PKR 27.0K

-4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 PKR 9,949

$41.37 PKR 11.4K

-13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 PKR 54.8K

$128 PKR 35.5K

54.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

$77.1 PKR 21.3K

7.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 PKR 115.3K

$258 PKR 71.3K

61.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 PKR 61.8K

$147 PKR 40.8K

51.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

$922 PKR 255.1K

29.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$450 PKR 124.5K

$486 PKR 134.5K

-7.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

13.08

74.39%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karak: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7%

Karak

$124 28.5% 10.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6%

Karak

$74 17% 28.1% $29

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6%

Karak

$77 17.8% 7.3% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Karak

$90 20.8% 12.2% $9.8

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2%

Karak

$31 7.1% 49.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Karak

$23 5.3% 11.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Karak

$15 3.5% 15.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $198 in Rawalpindi versus $128 in Karak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Rawalpindi versus $7.00 in Karak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $74.0 – making Karak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Karak

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

51,149

💱 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 Karak 190 km

From you

Rawalpindi
Karak

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 Karak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi costs about 15% more than Karak, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $651 in Karak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2% less in Karak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $48.61 per month in Rawalpindi and $76.0 in Karak. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $500 in Rawalpindi and $434 in Karak, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karak – 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 Karak. 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.