Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Thiruvananthapuram

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram: $383 a month against $504 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Thiruvananthapuram

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi and in Thiruvananthapuram

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Rawalpindi versus $383 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Rawalpindi $504
Thiruvananthapuram $383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Rawalpindi versus $609 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Rawalpindi $787
Thiruvananthapuram $609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,069 in Rawalpindi versus $834 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Rawalpindi $1,069
Thiruvananthapuram $834

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 32% more expensive than in Thiruvananthapuram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 584

$2.57 ₹244

-17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.10 PKR 4,454

$10.35 ₹982

55.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 PKR 1,680

$3.52 ₹334

72.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 963

Cappuccino

$2.01 PKR 556

$1.84 ₹175

9.24%

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

$0.40 PKR 112

$0.40 ₹37.65

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.1

$0.17 ₹16.41

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ₹201

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₹255

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 PKR 241

$0.56 ₹53.4

55.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$0.54 ₹51.4

9.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$0.62 ₹58.7

95.16%

Eggs

$1.10 PKR 303

$0.88 ₹83.9

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PKR 1,729

$5.45 ₹518

14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 983

$2.82 ₹268

25.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.94 PKR 1,366

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$2.25 ₹214

-46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 242

$0.79 ₹74.8

10.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.14 ₹108

6.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.48 ₹45.74

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.47 ₹44.91

-17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.46 ₹44.05

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.52 ₹49.50

-40.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.28 ₹26.26

42.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,550

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 564

$4.50 ₹427

-54.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.35 ₹508

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₹171

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.00 ₹474

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.9

$0.12 ₹11.42

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 PKR 2,783

$3.00 ₹284

235.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.75 ₹166

-50.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$0.25 ₹23.47

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 PKR 860

$2.62 ₹249

18.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.12 ₹106

10.71%

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

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

71.01%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$30.4K ₹2.9M

-22.19%

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

$115 PKR 31.7K

$34.39 ₹3,265

233.35%

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

$5.61 PKR 1,551

$3.32 ₹315

68.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 PKR 5,078

$7.69 ₹730

138.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.01 PKR 3,322

$14.29 ₹1,357

-15.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.28 PKR 2,015

$7.88 ₹748

-7.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 PKR 1,175

$2.13 ₹202

99.53%

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

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

$37.93 ₹3,601

28.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,056 PKR 292.3K

$2,094 ₹198.8K

-49.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.54 PKR 4,852

$21.91 ₹2,080

-19.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.61 PKR 9,022

$18.18 ₹1,726

79.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

$37.36 ₹3,547

150.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.98 PKR 9,956

$27.31 ₹2,593

31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 PKR 50.6K

$149 ₹14.2K

22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

$90.3 ₹8,574

-3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 PKR 109.5K

$313 ₹29.7K

26.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PKR 61.2K

$204 ₹19.4K

8.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 PKR 278.6K

$782 ₹74.2K

28.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$434 PKR 120.2K

$513 ₹48.7K

-15.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$174 PKR 48.0K

$238 ₹22.6K

-27.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

10.31

121.24%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5%

Thiruvananthapuram

$45 11.8% 67.3% $93

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2%

Thiruvananthapuram

$104 27.1% 2% $2

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3%

Thiruvananthapuram

$90 23.6% 3.6% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$81 16%

Thiruvananthapuram

$47 12.3% 41.7% $34

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2%

Thiruvananthapuram

$71 18.6% 15.7% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1%

Thiruvananthapuram

$19 4.8% 9.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Thiruvananthapuram

$6.5 1.7% 51.9% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $183 in Rawalpindi and $149 in Thiruvananthapuram. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thiruvananthapuram pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Rawalpindi vs $10 in Thiruvananthapuram. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $104, with Rawalpindi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

30 min ahead of Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

744,983

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawalpindi Thiruvananthapuram 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Rawalpindi
Thiruvananthapuram

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 Thiruvananthapuram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $504 in Rawalpindi and $383 in Thiruvananthapuram, so Thiruvananthapuram is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Rawalpindi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $183 in Rawalpindi versus $149 in Thiruvananthapuram. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $49 in Rawalpindi versus $38 in Thiruvananthapuram. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram – a meal for two runs $10 versus $16 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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