Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Sialkot

For one person, living is cheaper in Sialkot: $356 a month against $504 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Sialkot
Learn more

Sialkot Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Sialkot

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Sialkot

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Rawalpindi versus $356 in Sialkot.

Rawalpindi $504
Sialkot $356

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Rawalpindi versus $515 in Sialkot.

Rawalpindi $787
Sialkot $515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,069 in Rawalpindi versus $674 in Sialkot.

Rawalpindi $1,069
Sialkot $674

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 42% more expensive than in Sialkot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Sialkot 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 584

$1.05 PKR 290

100.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.10 PKR 4,450

$7.04 PKR 1,945

128.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 PKR 1,678

$5.40 PKR 1,493

12.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 491

$3.57 PKR 986

-50.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 962

$2.83 PKR 783

22.97%

Cappuccino

$2.01 PKR 555

$1.65 PKR 456

21.82%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.33 PKR 89.9

21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.1

$0.17 PKR 47.56

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.90 PKR 250

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.60 PKR 166

-1.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$0.99 PKR 274

22.22%

Eggs

$1.10 PKR 303

$1.09 PKR 301

0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,728

$4.03 PKR 1,113

55.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 982

$1.76 PKR 486

101.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.94 PKR 1,365

$5.51 PKR 1,522

-10.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 332

$1.17 PKR 323

2.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.53 PKR 146

64.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$0.73 PKR 203

65.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.56 PKR 154

-7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.29 PKR 80.6

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.35 PKR 98.0

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.28 PKR 76.9

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.43 PKR 119

-6.98%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,546

$1.42 PKR 393

1057.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

$1.05 PKR 291

10.48%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 666

$2.70 PKR 747

-10.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 564

$2.23 PKR 617

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.8

$0.16 PKR 43.93

18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 PKR 2,780

$10.78 PKR 2,980

-6.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.28 PKR 353

-32.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$0.42 PKR 115

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 PKR 859

$1.61 PKR 446

93.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.24 PKR 343

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

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

$19.8K PKR 5.5M

-2.51%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

1.12%

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

$115 PKR 31.7K

$103 PKR 28.4K

11.75%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,550

$6.10 PKR 1,685

-8.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 PKR 5,073

$16.78 PKR 4,639

9.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.01 PKR 3,319

$7.03 PKR 1,942

70.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.28 PKR 2,014

$5.27 PKR 1,456

38.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,174

$4.85 PKR 1,342

-12.37%

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

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

$20.07 PKR 5,548

143.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,056 PKR 292.0K

$266 PKR 73.6K

296.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.54 PKR 4,848

$14.22 PKR 3,931

23.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.61 PKR 9,014

$17.09 PKR 4,723

90.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

$27.29 PKR 7,544

243.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.98 PKR 9,947

$21.76 PKR 6,015

65.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 PKR 50.5K

$48.58 PKR 13.4K

276.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

$32.90 PKR 9,094

165.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 PKR 109.4K

$108 PKR 29.9K

265.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PKR 61.2K

$67.0 PKR 18.5K

230.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 PKR 278.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$434 PKR 120.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$174 PKR 48.0K

$154 PKR 42.6K

12.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

13.08

74.39%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sialkot: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5%

Sialkot

$125 35.3% 9.5% $13

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2%

Sialkot

$83 23.4% 18.3% $19

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3%

Sialkot

$33 9.3% 62.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$81 16%

Sialkot

$36 10.2% 55.3% $45

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2%

Sialkot

$46 13% 24.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1%

Sialkot

$17 4.7% 18.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Sialkot

$15 4.2% 10.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $183 in Rawalpindi and $49 in Sialkot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawalpindi pays 13% 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 in Rawalpindi vs $7 in Sialkot for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $83 per month, with Sialkot cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Sialkot

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

655,852

💱 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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Rawalpindi Sialkot 180 km

From you

Rawalpindi
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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 Sialkot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $504 in Rawalpindi and $356 in Sialkot, so Sialkot is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $183 in Rawalpindi versus $49 in Sialkot. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sialkot – a meal for two runs $7 versus $16 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $504 per month in Rawalpindi versus $356 in Sialkot – Sialkot is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Sialkot 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sialkot wins on affordability, Rawalpindi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.