Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiruvananthapuram and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram: $391 a month against $498 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index

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Thiruvananthapuram

🇮🇳 India

$391

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thiruvananthapuram 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 Thiruvananthapuram and in Rawalpindi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $391 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $498 in Rawalpindi.

Thiruvananthapuram $391
Rawalpindi $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $615 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $784 in Rawalpindi.

Thiruvananthapuram $615
Rawalpindi $784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $840 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $1,070 in Rawalpindi.

Thiruvananthapuram $840
Rawalpindi $1,070

Living in Thiruvananthapuram costs roughly 22% less than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thiruvananthapuram 71% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.53 ₹240

$2.04 PKR 565

24.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.30 ₹978

$16.20 PKR 4,484

-36.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.56 ₹338

$5.79 PKR 1,602

-38.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PKR 962

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₹174

$1.94 PKR 537

-5.67%

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

$0.40 ₹37.90

$0.44 PKR 121

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ₹18.28

$0.23 PKR 63.3

-17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₹254

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 ₹53.5

$0.90 PKR 249

-37.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.3

$0.59 PKR 162

-10.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.56 ₹53.3

$1.22 PKR 337

-54.10%

Eggs

$0.88 ₹83.1

$1.14 PKR 316

-22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.43 ₹516

$6.38 PKR 1,765

-14.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.69 ₹255

$3.38 PKR 935

-20.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 PKR 1,446

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 ₹210

$1.14 PKR 316

93.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$0.89 PKR 245

-8.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 ₹109

$1.22 PKR 337

-5.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹43.04

$0.56 PKR 156

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹41.89

$0.35 PKR 97.7

25.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.16

$0.46 PKR 127

6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ₹53.8

$0.33 PKR 91.5

72.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.81

$0.42 PKR 117

-28.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,551

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 335

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 677

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 ₹424

$1.98 PKR 548

125.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.36 ₹509

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₹167

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

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

$4.76 ₹452

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.96

$0.17 PKR 46.63

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$2.91 ₹276

$10.08 PKR 2,791

-71.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 ₹160

$0.88 PKR 244

90.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.54

$0.35 PKR 95.8

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 ₹245

$3.09 PKR 856

-16.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.23 PKR 341

-9.76%

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

$13.7K ₹1.3M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

-27.01%

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

$30.9K ₹2.9M

$24.5K PKR 6.8M

26.04%

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

$35.03 ₹3,327

$115 PKR 31.8K

-69.47%

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

$3.42 ₹325

$5.74 PKR 1,590

-40.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.76 ₹737

$18.80 PKR 5,204

-58.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.02 ₹1,332

$12.17 PKR 3,369

15.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 ₹737

$7.40 PKR 2,048

5.00%

Cinema Ticket

$2.11 ₹201

$4.38 PKR 1,211

-51.83%

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

$37.77 ₹3,587

$49.65 PKR 13.7K

-23.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,091 ₹198.5K

$1,044 PKR 288.9K

100.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.80 ₹2,071

$17.65 PKR 4,886

23.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.95 ₹1,705

$32.02 PKR 8,862

-43.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.91 ₹3,505

$93.4 PKR 25.9K

-60.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.57 ₹2,618

$35.64 PKR 9,863

-22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₹16.6K

$204 PKR 56.5K

-14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$98.9 ₹9,390

$81.6 PKR 22.6K

21.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₹34.3K

$418 PKR 115.6K

-13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ₹20.3K

$222 PKR 61.5K

-3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 ₹80.8K

$1,197 PKR 331.2K

-28.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$453 ₹43.0K

$451 PKR 124.8K

0.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$241 ₹22.9K

$173 PKR 47.8K

39.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.31

22.81

-54.80%

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

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thiruvananthapuram

$103 26.4%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.7% 0% $0

Accommodation & Living

Thiruvananthapuram

$99 25.3%

Rawalpindi

$82 16.4% 17.5% $17

Eating Out

Thiruvananthapuram

$71 18.1%

Rawalpindi

$60 12% 15.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Thiruvananthapuram

$47 12%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 71.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thiruvananthapuram

$46 11.8%

Rawalpindi

$139 28% 201% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Thiruvananthapuram

$18 4.7%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 14.6% $2.7

Getting Around

Thiruvananthapuram

$6.6 1.7%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 102% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $175 in Thiruvananthapuram and $204 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thiruvananthapuram pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $10.00 in Thiruvananthapuram vs $16.00 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $103 per month, with Thiruvananthapuram cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

30 min behind Thiruvananthapuram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

744,983

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thiruvananthapuram Rawalpindi 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Thiruvananthapuram
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

Thiruvananthapuram vs Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thiruvananthapuram and Rawalpindi differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($391 vs $498 including rent). Thiruvananthapuram is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Thiruvananthapuram, 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: $175 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $204 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $16.00 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $391 per month in Thiruvananthapuram versus $498 in Rawalpindi – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

Safety-wise, Thiruvananthapuram and Rawalpindi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Thiruvananthapuram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.