Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Mehar

For one person, living is cheaper in Mehar: $447 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $640 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Mehar
Learn more

Mehar Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Mehar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Mehar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $500 in Rawalpindi versus $447 in Mehar.

Rawalpindi $500
Mehar $447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $786 in Rawalpindi versus $667 in Mehar.

Rawalpindi $786
Mehar $667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,073 in Rawalpindi versus $887 in Mehar.

Rawalpindi $1,073
Mehar $887

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 12% more expensive than in Mehar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Mehar 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$2.12 PKR 586

0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.46 PKR 4,556

$10.76 PKR 2,977

52.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$5.37 PKR 1,487

13.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

$2.46 PKR 682

-27.64%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 PKR 938

$5.36 PKR 1,482

-36.75%

Cappuccino

$1.93 PKR 534

$1.58 PKR 437

22.15%

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

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.35 PKR 97.0

22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.5

$0.17 PKR 48.28

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 PKR 235

$0.84 PKR 231

1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$0.62 PKR 172

-4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 338

$1.12 PKR 311

8.93%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 308

$1.20 PKR 332

-7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 PKR 1,684

$5.71 PKR 1,580

6.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 981

$2.57 PKR 712

38.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 PKR 1,451

$5.03 PKR 1,391

4.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.16 PKR 320

3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.55 PKR 151

58.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 349

$0.79 PKR 218

59.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.56 PKR 156

-5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.30 PKR 83.5

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 134

$0.38 PKR 106

26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 PKR 88.5

$0.42 PKR 115

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.35 PKR 95.7

22.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.54 PKR 4,577

$1.81 PKR 502

813.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.06 PKR 293

15.09%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 PKR 696

$2.37 PKR 657

6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 PKR 555

$2.02 PKR 559

-0.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.20 PKR 54.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 PKR 2,685

$9.77 PKR 2,703

-0.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.10 PKR 304

-21.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.71 PKR 196

-47.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 PKR 872

$1.64 PKR 453

92.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.24 PKR 342

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$22.1K PKR 6.1M

-15.22%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

-2.91%

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

$114 PKR 31.5K

$101 PKR 28.0K

12.18%

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

$5.84 PKR 1,616

$5.71 PKR 1,581

2.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,203

$14.30 PKR 3,958

31.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.23 PKR 3,385

$15.17 PKR 4,199

-19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 PKR 2,063

$7.92 PKR 2,191

-5.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,180

$4.39 PKR 1,215

-2.96%

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

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

$42.99 PKR 11.9K

13.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

$1,021 PKR 282.7K

1.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.45 PKR 4,831

$16.60 PKR 4,595

5.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.71 PKR 9,054

$23.60 PKR 6,531

38.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

$67.9 PKR 18.8K

36.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 PKR 9,949

$33.37 PKR 9,235

7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 PKR 54.8K

$128 PKR 35.5K

54.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

$77.4 PKR 21.4K

7.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 PKR 115.3K

$249 PKR 69.0K

67.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 PKR 61.8K

$151 PKR 41.8K

47.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

$949 PKR 262.6K

26.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$450 PKR 124.5K

$483 PKR 133.8K

-6.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

$109 PKR 30.0K

61.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

75.46%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mehar: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7%

Mehar

$121 27.1% 12.3% $17

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6%

Mehar

$91 20.5% 11.1% $11

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6%

Mehar

$77 17.3% 6.9% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Mehar

$64 14.2% 20.9% $17

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2%

Mehar

$54 12.1% 11.5% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Mehar

$24 5.4% 15.4% $3.2

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Mehar

$15 3.4% 14.9% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $198 in Rawalpindi and $128 in Mehar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawalpindi pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $16.00 in Rawalpindi vs $11.00 in Mehar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $91.0 per month, with Mehar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Mehar

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawalpindi Mehar 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawalpindi
Mehar

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 Mehar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mehar wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Rawalpindi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mehar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Rawalpindi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $198 in Rawalpindi versus $128 in Mehar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $500 per month in Rawalpindi versus $447 in Mehar – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mehar runs roughly 1% less than in Rawalpindi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Mehar 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 Mehar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.