Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Mirpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Mirpur: $372 a month against $498 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Mirpur
Learn more

Mirpur Living Index

Jump to prices

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Mirpur

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Mirpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $498 in Rawalpindi versus $372 in Mirpur.

Rawalpindi $498
Mirpur $372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $784 in Rawalpindi versus $558 in Mirpur.

Rawalpindi $784
Mirpur $558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,070 in Rawalpindi versus $743 in Mirpur.

Rawalpindi $1,070
Mirpur $743

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 34% more expensive than in Mirpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Mirpur 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 PKR 565

$1.83 PKR 505

11.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.20 PKR 4,484

$7.17 PKR 1,985

125.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 PKR 1,602

$5.40 PKR 1,494

7.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

$1.05 PKR 290

69.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PKR 962

$1.78 PKR 493

94.94%

Cappuccino

$1.94 PKR 537

$1.06 PKR 295

83.02%

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

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.47 PKR 129

-6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.3

$0.18 PKR 49.33

27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 249

$0.78 PKR 217

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.62 PKR 173

-4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.21 PKR 334

0.83%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.19 PKR 328

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 PKR 1,765

$3.70 PKR 1,025

72.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 PKR 935

$2.61 PKR 721

29.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 PKR 1,446

$3.96 PKR 1,096

31.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.10 PKR 306

3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 PKR 245

$0.62 PKR 172

43.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$0.56 PKR 155

117.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.52 PKR 144

7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.7

$0.28 PKR 76.7

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.30 PKR 84.1

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 91.5

$0.28 PKR 76.4

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.35 PKR 96.8

20.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,551

$1.82 PKR 504

803.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 335

$1.07 PKR 297

13.08%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 677

$2.42 PKR 671

1.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 PKR 548

$1.41 PKR 391

40.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 46.63

$0.17 PKR 47.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.08 PKR 2,791

$9.78 PKR 2,708

3.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.09 PKR 302

-19.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.8

$0.23 PKR 63.9

52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 PKR 856

$2.84 PKR 786

8.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 341

$0.98 PKR 271

25.51%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$8,856 PKR 2.5M

111.30%

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

$24.5K PKR 6.8M

$14.3K PKR 4.0M

70.82%

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

$115 PKR 31.8K

$67.0 PKR 18.5K

71.21%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,590

$5.50 PKR 1,521

4.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,204

$14.25 PKR 3,945

31.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.17 PKR 3,369

$14.64 PKR 4,052

-16.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.40 PKR 2,048

$8.01 PKR 2,216

-7.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 PKR 1,211

$3.56 PKR 984

23.03%

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

$49.65 PKR 13.7K

$26.90 PKR 7,446

84.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,044 PKR 288.9K

$2,040 PKR 564.6K

-48.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.65 PKR 4,886

$18.29 PKR 5,062

-3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 PKR 8,862

$18.11 PKR 5,013

76.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 PKR 25.9K

$36.45 PKR 10.1K

156.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.64 PKR 9,863

$29.04 PKR 8,036

22.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 PKR 56.5K

$127 PKR 35.2K

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.6 PKR 22.6K

$78.6 PKR 21.8K

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 PKR 115.6K

$251 PKR 69.5K

66.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 PKR 61.5K

$151 PKR 41.9K

46.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,197 PKR 331.2K

$898 PKR 248.6K

33.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$451 PKR 124.8K

$462 PKR 127.8K

-2.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$146 PKR 40.3K

18.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

11.83

92.81%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mirpur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 28%

Mirpur

$87 23.3% 37.7% $53

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.7%

Mirpur

$81 21.6% 21.9% $23

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$82 16.4%

Mirpur

$79 21.1% 3.7% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Mirpur

$46 12.3% 43% $35

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$60 12%

Mirpur

$46 12.4% 22.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Mirpur

$22 5.8% 4% $0.8

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Mirpur

$13 3.4% 4.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $204 in Rawalpindi and $127 in Mirpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawalpindi pays 18% 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 $7.00 in Mirpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $81.0 per month, with Mirpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Mirpur

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

124,350

💱 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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Between locations

Rawalpindi Mirpur 81 km

From you

Rawalpindi
Mirpur

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 Mirpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi and Mirpur differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($498 vs $372 including rent). Mirpur is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% 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: $204 in Rawalpindi versus $127 in Mirpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $498 per month in Rawalpindi versus $372 in Mirpur – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mirpur runs roughly 3% less than in Rawalpindi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mirpur 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 Mirpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.