Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $504 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Quetta

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

A single person spends $504 per month in Rawalpindi vs $415 in Quetta, rent included.

Rawalpindi $504
Quetta $415

A couple spends around $787 per month in Rawalpindi vs $620 in Quetta, rent included.

Rawalpindi $787
Quetta $620

A family of three spends $1,069 per month in Rawalpindi vs $826 in Quetta, rent included.

Rawalpindi $1,069
Quetta $826

Rawalpindi costs about 22% more than Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rawalpindi and Quetta are more affordable than the global median – Rawalpindi 63% lower, Quetta 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 584

$3.51 PKR 971

-39.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.10 PKR 4,450

$10.77 PKR 2,978

49.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 PKR 1,678

$4.59 PKR 1,269

32.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 491

$1.86 PKR 514

-4.30%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 962

$5.17 PKR 1,429

-32.69%

Cappuccino

$2.01 PKR 555

$1.65 PKR 455

21.82%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.41 PKR 114

-2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.1

$0.17 PKR 48.30

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.75 PKR 206

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.55 PKR 152

7.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.28 PKR 353

-5.47%

Eggs

$1.10 PKR 303

$1.18 PKR 327

-6.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,728

$5.02 PKR 1,387

24.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 982

$2.95 PKR 816

20.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.94 PKR 1,365

$5.18 PKR 1,433

-4.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 332

$0.99 PKR 274

21.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.56 PKR 155

55.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$0.69 PKR 190

75.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.55 PKR 152

-5.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.32 PKR 88.6

21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.52 PKR 143

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.42 PKR 117

-26.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,546

$1.83 PKR 507

798.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

$1.20 PKR 332

-3.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 666

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 564

$2.04 PKR 563

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.8

$0.14 PKR 37.85

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 PKR 2,780

$9.01 PKR 2,490

11.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.04 PKR 288

-16.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$0.47 PKR 129

-25.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 PKR 859

$1.53 PKR 424

103.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.15 PKR 317

7.83%

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

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

-3.17%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

0.72%

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

$115 PKR 31.7K

$100 PKR 27.7K

14.42%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,550

$7.95 PKR 2,198

-29.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 PKR 5,073

$16.48 PKR 4,557

11.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.01 PKR 3,319

$5.81 PKR 1,607

106.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.28 PKR 2,014

$7.46 PKR 2,061

-2.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,174

$3.23 PKR 893

31.58%

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

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

$35.14 PKR 9,715

38.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,056 PKR 292.0K

$1,039 PKR 287.2K

1.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.54 PKR 4,848

$8.05 PKR 2,226

117.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.61 PKR 9,014

$22.10 PKR 6,109

47.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

36.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.98 PKR 9,947

$33.98 PKR 9,394

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 PKR 50.5K

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

156.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

72.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 PKR 109.4K

$164 PKR 45.4K

141.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PKR 61.2K

$101 PKR 27.8K

120.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 PKR 278.4K

$386 PKR 106.8K

160.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$434 PKR 120.1K

$222 PKR 61.5K

95.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$174 PKR 48.0K

$274 PKR 75.8K

-36.64%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5%

Quetta

$125 30.1% 10.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2%

Quetta

$90 21.8% 11.3% $12

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3%

Quetta

$51 12.2% 41.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$81 16%

Quetta

$60 14.4% 26% $21

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 3.6% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1%

Quetta

$12 3% 40.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Quetta

$13 3.1% 3.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $183 in Rawalpindi versus $71 in Quetta. 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 58% higher in Quetta, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Rawalpindi versus $11 in Quetta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $90 – making Quetta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

1,001,205

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rawalpindi Quetta 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawalpindi
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rawalpindi is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $756 per month in Rawalpindi and $622 in Quetta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $71 there versus $183 in Rawalpindi.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Rawalpindi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Rawalpindi and $11 in Quetta. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $504 in Rawalpindi and $415 in Quetta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Quetta – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Quetta is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 18% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.