Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Sahiwal

For one person, living costs are similar in Rawalpindi and in Sahiwal: $503 and $507 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Sahiwal
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Sahiwal Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$503

/mo nomad

Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$507

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Sahiwal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $503 in Rawalpindi versus $507 in Sahiwal.

Rawalpindi $503
Sahiwal $507

Estimated couple costs with rent: $788 in Rawalpindi versus $761 in Sahiwal.

Rawalpindi $788
Sahiwal $761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,072 in Rawalpindi versus $1,015 in Sahiwal.

Rawalpindi $1,072
Sahiwal $1,015

Monthly costs are close between Rawalpindi and Sahiwal; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Sahiwal 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.09 PKR 578

$2.54 PKR 703

-17.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.18 PKR 4,474

$14.22 PKR 3,930

13.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 PKR 1,667

$5.61 PKR 1,551

7.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 PKR 486

$3.63 PKR 1,004

-51.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 961

$5.53 PKR 1,529

-37.07%

Cappuccino

$1.94 PKR 537

$2.52 PKR 697

-23.02%

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

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.40 PKR 111

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.5

$0.24 PKR 65.8

4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 PKR 253

$0.98 PKR 271

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$0.78 PKR 217

-24.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 343

$1.18 PKR 327

5.08%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 314

$1.16 PKR 320

-1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 PKR 1,764

$6.41 PKR 1,771

-0.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 PKR 978

$2.56 PKR 707

38.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.19 PKR 1,435

$4.98 PKR 1,377

4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 PKR 246

$0.66 PKR 181

34.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$0.91 PKR 252

36.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 PKR 160

$0.59 PKR 162

-1.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$0.29 PKR 79.4

20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 133

$0.39 PKR 107

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 PKR 95.4

$0.45 PKR 124

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 PKR 108

$0.34 PKR 94.9

14.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.25 PKR 4,493

$1.06 PKR 292

1433.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 336

$0.61 PKR 170

100.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 PKR 688

$1.65 PKR 456

50.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 PKR 546

$2.23 PKR 617

-11.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 46.94

$0.20 PKR 56.3

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,710

$10.00 PKR 2,764

-1.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.87 PKR 240

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.69 PKR 190

-44.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 PKR 828

$1.76 PKR 488

69.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 PKR 328

$1.40 PKR 386

-15.00%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

5.02%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

-0.86%

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

$112 PKR 31.1K

$124 PKR 34.4K

-9.64%

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

$5.60 PKR 1,548

$5.52 PKR 1,526

1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 PKR 5,188

$16.08 PKR 4,445

16.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.23 PKR 3,382

$15.10 PKR 4,174

-19.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 PKR 2,108

$8.13 PKR 2,248

-6.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,174

$4.26 PKR 1,178

-0.23%

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

$49.55 PKR 13.7K

$75.4 PKR 20.8K

-34.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,057 PKR 292.1K

$2,016 PKR 557.3K

-47.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.14 PKR 4,738

$17.94 PKR 4,958

-4.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.15 PKR 8,887

$27.74 PKR 7,667

15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 PKR 25.4K

$72.4 PKR 20.0K

26.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.65 PKR 10.1K

$32.68 PKR 9,032

12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$184 PKR 50.8K

$134 PKR 37.2K

36.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.4 PKR 24.1K

$86.9 PKR 24.0K

0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 PKR 105.8K

$272 PKR 75.3K

40.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 PKR 61.8K

$181 PKR 49.9K

23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,016 PKR 280.7K

$824 PKR 227.8K

23.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$433 PKR 119.6K

$494 PKR 136.6K

-12.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$171 PKR 47.3K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sahiwal: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$137 27.2%

Sahiwal

$146 28.8% 6.7% $9.2

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$104 20.7%

Sahiwal

$98 19.3% 6% $6.2

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$87 17.4%

Sahiwal

$87 17.1% 0.6% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 15.9%

Sahiwal

$68 13.4% 15.2% $12

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$61 12.1%

Sahiwal

$70 13.8% 14.9% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1%

Sahiwal

$24 4.7% 14% $2.9

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.6%

Sahiwal

$15 3% 14.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $184 in Rawalpindi and $134 in Sahiwal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Rawalpindi vs $14 in Sahiwal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $104 vs $98 per month, with Sahiwal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

389,605

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rawalpindi Sahiwal 320 km

From you

Rawalpindi
Sahiwal

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 Sahiwal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $755 in Rawalpindi and $761 in Sahiwal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $184 in Rawalpindi versus $134 in Sahiwal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $50 in Rawalpindi versus $75 in Sahiwal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sahiwal pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Rawalpindi 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.