Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Mardan

For one person, living costs are similar in Rawalpindi and in Mardan: $504 and $502 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Mardan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Rawalpindi versus $502 in Mardan.

Rawalpindi $504
Mardan $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Rawalpindi versus $788 in Mardan.

Rawalpindi $787
Mardan $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,069 in Rawalpindi versus $1,074 in Mardan.

Rawalpindi $1,069
Mardan $1,074

Monthly costs are close between Rawalpindi and Mardan; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 584

$3.53 PKR 978

-40.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.10 PKR 4,454

$23.47 PKR 6,495

-31.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 PKR 1,680

$5.44 PKR 1,504

11.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

$3.66 PKR 1,013

-51.37%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 963

$6.77 PKR 1,872

-48.60%

Cappuccino

$2.01 PKR 556

$2.55 PKR 705

-21.18%

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

$0.40 PKR 112

$0.34 PKR 94.7

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.1

$0.23 PKR 63.9

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.90 PKR 250

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.78 PKR 216

-24.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.29 PKR 358

-6.20%

Eggs

$1.10 PKR 303

$1.22 PKR 337

-9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,729

$2.93 PKR 811

113.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 983

$3.17 PKR 878

11.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.94 PKR 1,366

$3.72 PKR 1,029

32.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.87 PKR 240

37.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 242

$0.73 PKR 203

19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.03 PKR 286

17.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.35 PKR 96.5

48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.27 PKR 74.2

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.38 PKR 106

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.28 PKR 77.2

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.35 PKR 96.0

14.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,550

$1.79 PKR 496

818.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

$1.20 PKR 333

-3.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

$2.32 PKR 642

3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 564

$1.84 PKR 508

10.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.9

$0.20 PKR 54.5

-5.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 PKR 2,783

$10.72 PKR 2,966

-6.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.27 PKR 352

-31.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$0.69 PKR 190

-49.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 PKR 860

$1.60 PKR 442

94.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.05 PKR 292

18.10%

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

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

-11.48%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

0.24%

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

$115 PKR 31.7K

$104 PKR 28.7K

10.66%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,551

$6.02 PKR 1,666

-6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 PKR 5,078

$16.99 PKR 4,701

8.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.01 PKR 3,322

$12.89 PKR 3,566

-6.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.28 PKR 2,015

$8.04 PKR 2,223

-9.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,175

$4.89 PKR 1,353

-13.09%

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

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

15.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,056 PKR 292.3K

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

-0.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.54 PKR 4,852

$25.98 PKR 7,188

-32.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.61 PKR 9,022

$34.63 PKR 9,583

-5.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

-2.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.98 PKR 9,956

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

-10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$134 PKR 37.1K

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

1.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 PKR 109.5K

$264 PKR 73.1K

49.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PKR 61.2K

$182 PKR 50.3K

21.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 PKR 278.6K

$865 PKR 239.3K

16.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$434 PKR 120.2K

$578 PKR 159.9K

-24.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$174 PKR 48.0K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5%

Mardan

$127 25.2% 8.7% $12

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2%

Mardan

$84 16.8% 17.5% $18

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3%

Mardan

$86 17.1% 1.4% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$81 16%

Mardan

$89 17.7% 9.6% $7.8

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2%

Mardan

$77 15.4% 25.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1%

Mardan

$23 4.5% 10.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 20.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $183 in Rawalpindi and $134 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Rawalpindi vs $23 in Mardan. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $84, with Mardan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

358,604

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rawalpindi Mardan 110 km

From you

Rawalpindi
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $756 in Rawalpindi and $753 in Mardan 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 $134 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rawalpindi runs roughly 6% less than in Mardan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rawalpindi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Mardan 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.