Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Pakpattan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakpattan: $448 a month against $498 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Rawalpindi despite lower rent and utilities.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Pakpattan
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Pakpattan Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Pakpattan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Pakpattan

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Rawalpindi vs $448 in Pakpattan, rent included.

Rawalpindi $498
Pakpattan $448

A couple spends around $784 per month in Rawalpindi vs $637 in Pakpattan, rent included.

Rawalpindi $784
Pakpattan $637

A family of three spends $1,070 per month in Rawalpindi vs $827 in Pakpattan, rent included.

Rawalpindi $1,070
Pakpattan $827

Rawalpindi costs about 11% more than Pakpattan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rawalpindi and Pakpattan are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Pakpattan 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 PKR 565

$1.29 PKR 357

58.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.20 PKR 4,484

$10.80 PKR 2,988

50.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 PKR 1,602

$5.37 PKR 1,486

7.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

$2.69 PKR 744

-33.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PKR 962

$5.19 PKR 1,436

-33.14%

Cappuccino

$1.94 PKR 537

$1.87 PKR 518

3.74%

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

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.17 PKR 47.31

158.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.3

$0.10 PKR 28.15

130.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 249

$0.62 PKR 172

45.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.51 PKR 142

15.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$0.94 PKR 261

29.79%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.08 PKR 298

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 PKR 1,765

$6.83 PKR 1,890

-6.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 PKR 935

$2.49 PKR 689

35.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 PKR 1,446

$3.71 PKR 1,028

40.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 PKR 316

$0.89 PKR 246

28.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 PKR 245

$0.47 PKR 130

89.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$0.28 PKR 76.6

335.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$0.58 PKR 159

-3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.7

$0.37 PKR 102

-5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.46 PKR 128

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 91.5

$0.50 PKR 139

-34.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.35 PKR 96.3

20.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,551

$1.81 PKR 502

808.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 335

$0.93 PKR 257

30.11%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 677

$2.35 PKR 649

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 PKR 548

$2.20 PKR 610

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 46.63

$0.17 PKR 47.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.08 PKR 2,791

$11.17 PKR 3,092

-9.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.40 PKR 388

-37.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.8

$0.37 PKR 103

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 PKR 856

$0.89 PKR 246

247.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.02 PKR 283

20.59%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$24.9K PKR 6.9M

-24.80%

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

$24.5K PKR 6.8M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-7.32%

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

$115 PKR 31.8K

$147 PKR 40.8K

-22.11%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,590

$5.02 PKR 1,388

14.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,204

$18.95 PKR 5,246

-0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.17 PKR 3,369

$14.93 PKR 4,132

-18.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.40 PKR 2,048

$7.71 PKR 2,134

-4.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 PKR 1,211

$4.34 PKR 1,202

0.92%

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

$49.65 PKR 13.7K

$12.74 PKR 3,525

289.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,044 PKR 288.9K

$1,027 PKR 284.3K

1.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.65 PKR 4,886

$10.66 PKR 2,950

65.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 PKR 8,862

$12.80 PKR 3,544

150.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 PKR 25.9K

$25.60 PKR 7,086

265.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.64 PKR 9,863

$14.50 PKR 4,014

145.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 PKR 56.5K

$116 PKR 32.2K

75.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.6 PKR 22.6K

$76.4 PKR 21.2K

6.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 PKR 115.6K

$256 PKR 70.9K

62.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 PKR 61.5K

$151 PKR 41.9K

47.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,197 PKR 331.2K

$1,069 PKR 295.8K

11.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$451 PKR 124.8K

$530 PKR 146.8K

-15.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$107 PKR 29.7K

60.58%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Pakpattan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 28%

Pakpattan

$171 38.2% 23% $32

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.7%

Pakpattan

$83 18.5% 19.5% $20

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$82 16.4%

Pakpattan

$76 17.1% 6.4% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Pakpattan

$29 6.4% 64.4% $52

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$60 12%

Pakpattan

$50 11.2% 16.3% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Pakpattan

$24 5.3% 12.9% $2.7

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Pakpattan

$15 3.4% 13.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Rawalpindi versus $116 in Pakpattan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 61% higher in Rawalpindi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Rawalpindi versus $11.00 in Pakpattan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $83.0 – making Pakpattan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakpattan

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

176,693

💱 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

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Rawalpindi Pakpattan 360 km

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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 Pakpattan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi costs about 11% more than Pakpattan, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $748 per month in Rawalpindi and $672 in Pakpattan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $49.65 per month in Rawalpindi and $12.74 in Pakpattan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Rawalpindi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $498 in Rawalpindi and $448 in Pakpattan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pakpattan – 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 Pakpattan. 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.