Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Mianwali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianwali: $416 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Rawalpindi
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$500
/mo nomad
Mianwali
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$416
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Mianwali

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Rawalpindi vs $416 in Mianwali, rent included.

  • Rawalpindi $500
  • Mianwali $416

A couple spends around $786 per month in Rawalpindi vs $607 in Mianwali, rent included.

  • Rawalpindi $786
  • Mianwali $607

A family of three spends $1,073 per month in Rawalpindi vs $798 in Mianwali, rent included.

  • Rawalpindi $1,073
  • Mianwali $798

Rawalpindi costs about 20% more than Mianwali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rawalpindi and Mianwali are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Mianwali 69% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 PKR 588
$2.57 PKR 712
-17.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.46 PKR 4,556
$8.22 PKR 2,275
100.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.12 PKR 1,695
$5.75 PKR 1,592
6.43%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 PKR 493
$3.65 PKR 1,009
-51.23%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 PKR 938
$5.55 PKR 1,537
-38.92%
Cappuccino
$1.93 PKR 534
$1.07 PKR 295
80.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 PKR 119
$0.24 PKR 66.1
79.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 PKR 63.5
$0.18 PKR 50.8
27.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 PKR 235
$0.71 PKR 197
19.72%
White Bread (500g)
$0.59 PKR 163
$0.49 PKR 137
20.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 PKR 338
$1.12 PKR 311
8.93%
Eggs
$1.11 PKR 308
$1.15 PKR 319
-3.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.08 PKR 1,684
$6.12 PKR 1,693
-0.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.55 PKR 981
$1.41 PKR 392
151.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.24 PKR 1,451
$3.52 PKR 974
48.86%
Apples (1kg)
$1.20 PKR 333
$1.19 PKR 329
0.84%
Banana (1kg)
$0.87 PKR 240
$0.64 PKR 178
35.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 PKR 349
$0.75 PKR 207
68.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 PKR 146
$0.46 PKR 127
15.22%
Potato (1kg)
$0.39 PKR 107
$0.32 PKR 89.0
21.88%
Onion (1kg)
$0.48 PKR 134
$0.39 PKR 107
23.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.32 PKR 88.5
$0.51 PKR 142
-37.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 PKR 118
$0.35 PKR 96.4
22.86%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$16.54 PKR 4,577
$1.11 PKR 306
1390.09%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 PKR 337
$0.61 PKR 170
100.00%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 PKR 696
$1.73 PKR 479
45.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.01 PKR 555
$1.11 PKR 307
81.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 PKR 55.2
$0.18 PKR 51.2
11.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.70 PKR 2,685
$8.74 PKR 2,418
10.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.86 PKR 239
$0.70 PKR 193
22.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 PKR 103
$0.38 PKR 104
-2.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 PKR 872
$1.76 PKR 487
78.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 PKR 344
$1.27 PKR 351
-2.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K PKR 5.2M
$18.2K PKR 5.0M
2.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K PKR 6.5M
$24.4K PKR 6.8M
-3.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$114 PKR 31.5K
$110 PKR 30.5K
3.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.84 PKR 1,616
$3.40 PKR 942
71.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.80 PKR 5,203
$16.38 PKR 4,532
14.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$12.23 PKR 3,385
$7.99 PKR 2,210
53.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.45 PKR 2,063
$8.28 PKR 2,292
-10.02%
Cinema Ticket
$4.26 PKR 1,180
$4.23 PKR 1,171
0.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$48.61 PKR 13.5K
$50.2 PKR 13.9K
-3.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,038 PKR 287.4K
$2,080 PKR 575.6K
-50.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.45 PKR 4,831
$13.52 PKR 3,743
29.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.71 PKR 9,054
$14.57 PKR 4,032
124.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.8 PKR 25.7K
$73.2 PKR 20.3K
26.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$35.95 PKR 9,949
$8.82 PKR 2,443
307.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$198 PKR 54.8K
$129 PKR 35.6K
53.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$83.1 PKR 23.0K
$75.5 PKR 20.9K
10.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$417 PKR 115.3K
$249 PKR 69.0K
67.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$223 PKR 61.8K
$151 PKR 41.9K
47.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,196 PKR 331.0K
$920 PKR 254.6K
29.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$450 PKR 124.5K
$443 PKR 122.7K
1.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rawalpindi
Mianwali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$175 PKR 48.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
22.81
14.05
62.35%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mianwali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rawalpindi
$138
Mianwali
$130 5.9% $8.2
Groceries & Markets
Rawalpindi
$103
Mianwali
$80 22% $23
Accommodation & Living
Rawalpindi
$83
Mianwali
$76 9.2% $7.6
Clothing & Footwear
Rawalpindi
$80
Mianwali
$50 38.4% $31
Eating Out
Rawalpindi
$61
Mianwali
$52 14.5% $8.8
Sport & Entertainment
Rawalpindi
$21
Mianwali
$16 20.8% $4.3
Getting Around
Rawalpindi
$13
Mianwali
$12 8.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $198 in Rawalpindi versus $129 in Mianwali. 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 $8.00 in Mianwali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $80.0 – making Mianwali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Rawalpindi
🇵🇰 Mianwali
🕒 Local time
22:00 10:00 PM
22:00 10:00 PM
Same time as Rawalpindi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,098,231
118,883
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rawalpindi Mianwali 180 km
From you
  • Rawalpindi
  • Mianwali

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 Mianwali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rawalpindi or Mianwali?
Rawalpindi costs about 20% more than Mianwali, 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 Mianwali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $750 per month in Rawalpindi and $624 in Mianwali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Rawalpindi or Mianwali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianwali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Rawalpindi or in Mianwali?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Rawalpindi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Rawalpindi and in Mianwali?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Rawalpindi and $8.00 in Mianwali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Rawalpindi or in Mianwali?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $500 in Rawalpindi and $416 in Mianwali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Mianwali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Rawalpindi or to Mianwali?
If budget matters most, go with Mianwali. 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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