Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sylhet and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylhet: $362 a month against $504 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Sylhet
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Sylhet Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Sylhet

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$362

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sylhet and in Rawalpindi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sylhet and in Rawalpindi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $362 in Sylhet versus $504 in Rawalpindi.

Sylhet $362
Rawalpindi $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $612 in Sylhet versus $787 in Rawalpindi.

Sylhet $612
Rawalpindi $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $861 in Sylhet versus $1,069 in Rawalpindi.

Sylhet $861
Rawalpindi $1,069

Living in Sylhet costs roughly 28% less than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sylhet 73% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ৳295

$2.11 PKR 584

12.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.13 ৳1,386

$16.10 PKR 4,453

-30.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 ৳494

$6.07 PKR 1,680

-34.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.82 ৳600

$1.78 PKR 492

170.79%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ৳495

$3.48 PKR 963

14.37%

Cappuccino

$2.08 ৳259

$2.01 PKR 556

3.48%

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

$0.33 ৳40.53

$0.40 PKR 112

-17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳20.02

$0.23 PKR 63.1

-30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 ৳104

$0.87 PKR 241

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ৳69.6

$0.59 PKR 162

-5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ৳80.8

$1.21 PKR 336

-46.28%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳150

$1.10 PKR 303

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 ৳927

$6.25 PKR 1,729

19.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ৳395

$3.55 PKR 983

-10.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳827

$4.94 PKR 1,366

34.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ৳332

$1.20 PKR 333

122.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 ৳115

$0.87 PKR 242

5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ৳301

$1.21 PKR 336

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 ৳74.6

$0.52 PKR 145

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.60

$0.39 PKR 107

-41.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ৳64.5

$0.46 PKR 127

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.17

$0.31 PKR 87.1

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ৳33.17

$0.40 PKR 110

-32.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.90 ৳361

$16.44 PKR 4,550

-82.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ৳246

$1.16 PKR 321

69.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ৳484

$2.41 PKR 667

61.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ৳350

$2.04 PKR 564

37.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 ৳88.3

$0.19 PKR 53.9

273.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.00 ৳2,988

$10.06 PKR 2,782

138.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 ৳149

$0.87 PKR 240

37.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 ৳19.94

$0.35 PKR 95.5

-54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 ৳138

$3.11 PKR 860

-64.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ৳129

$1.24 PKR 342

-16.13%

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

$29.5K ৳3.7M

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

52.96%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

39.82%

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

$25.16 ৳3,134

$115 PKR 31.7K

-78.05%

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

$4.33 ৳539

$5.61 PKR 1,551

-22.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.91 ৳1,359

$18.35 PKR 5,077

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.90 ৳1,109

$12.01 PKR 3,322

-25.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.03 ৳501

$7.28 PKR 2,015

-44.64%

Cinema Ticket

$3.95 ৳492

$4.25 PKR 1,175

-7.06%

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

$28.58 ৳3,559

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

-41.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$961 ৳119.6K

$1,056 PKR 292.3K

-9.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.99 ৳1,992

$17.54 PKR 4,851

-8.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ৳1,984

$32.61 PKR 9,021

-51.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.96 ৳4,603

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

-60.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.67 ৳3,695

$35.98 PKR 9,955

-17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ৳15.5K

$183 PKR 50.6K

-31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.4 ৳7,028

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

-35.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 ৳21.8K

$396 PKR 109.5K

-55.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 ৳20.0K

$221 PKR 61.2K

-27.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$684 ৳85.2K

$1,007 PKR 278.6K

-32.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 ৳43.2K

$434 PKR 120.2K

-20.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 ৳27.7K

$174 PKR 48.0K

27.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

22.81

-53.22%

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

Last update for Sylhet: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sylhet

$117 32.4%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2% 13% $15

Eating Out

Sylhet

$58 16%

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2% 7% $4

Accommodation & Living

Sylhet

$56 15.6%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3% 54.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sylhet

$44 12.3%

Rawalpindi

$81 16% 82.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sylhet

$40 11.2%

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5% 243% $98

Getting Around

Sylhet

$29 8%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 53.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sylhet

$17 4.6%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 22% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Sylhet and $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sylhet pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Sylhet vs $16 in Rawalpindi. Groceries flip the comparison at $117 vs $102, with Rawalpindi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Sylhet

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

1 h behind Sylhet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

526,412

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.03 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 125 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.03 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sylhet Rawalpindi 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sylhet
Rawalpindi

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

Sylhet vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $362 in Sylhet and $504 in Rawalpindi, so Sylhet is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Sylhet, 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: $125 in Sylhet versus $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sylhet – a meal for two runs $11 versus $16 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $362 per month in Sylhet versus $504 in Rawalpindi – Sylhet is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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