Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Multan

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $290 a month against $560 in Multan, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Multan
Learn more

Multan Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$290

/mo nomad

Multan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varanasi and in Multan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $290 in Varanasi versus $560 in Multan.

Varanasi $290
Multan $560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $475 in Varanasi versus $771 in Multan.

Varanasi $475
Multan $771

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $661 in Varanasi versus $982 in Multan.

Varanasi $661
Multan $982

Living in Varanasi costs roughly 48% less than in Multan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varanasi 79% lower, Multan 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ₹174

$2.47 PKR 683

-25.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.76 ₹739

$10.64 PKR 2,944

-27.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.19 ₹303

$5.50 PKR 1,521

-42.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 PKR 761

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 PKR 1,412

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$1.85 PKR 512

-14.05%

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

$0.42 ₹39.71

$0.30 PKR 83.2

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.99

$0.19 PKR 53.5

-47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 ₹147

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₹196

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.3

$0.73 PKR 201

-16.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.62

$0.52 PKR 143

-40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$1.08 PKR 298

-50.93%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹80.2

$1.09 PKR 301

-22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.14 ₹299

$6.59 PKR 1,822

-52.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹203

$2.52 PKR 698

-15.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 PKR 1,238

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 ₹130

$0.91 PKR 252

49.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 ₹63.0

$0.47 PKR 129

40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ₹91.0

$0.67 PKR 186

43.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.04

$0.57 PKR 159

-43.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.67

$0.39 PKR 108

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.77

$0.42 PKR 117

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹43.03

$0.47 PKR 129

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.79

$0.37 PKR 103

-24.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.80 PKR 499

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 PKR 790

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹305

$2.18 PKR 603

46.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 ₹546

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹151

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₹181

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

$4.12 ₹392

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.9

$0.17 PKR 46.73

217.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ₹927

$8.46 PKR 2,341

15.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.91

$1.43 PKR 395

-81.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.11 ₹10.03

$0.38 PKR 104

-71.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.86 PKR 237

24.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.18 PKR 328

-5.93%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$25.2K PKR 7.0M

-55.44%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

-6.19%

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

$12.55 ₹1,195

$146 PKR 40.3K

-91.38%

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

$3.62 ₹344

$4.82 PKR 1,334

-24.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.04 ₹670

$18.97 PKR 5,248

-62.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.58 ₹1,197

$23.97 PKR 6,633

-47.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.57 PKR 987

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 ₹288

$4.27 PKR 1,182

-29.27%

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

$38.76 ₹3,691

$41.98 PKR 11.6K

-7.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$990 ₹94.3K

$993 PKR 274.6K

-0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.78 ₹2,169

$18.39 PKR 5,090

23.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.17 ₹2,397

$18.81 PKR 5,204

33.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.77 ₹3,597

$94.0 PKR 26.0K

-59.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.59 ₹2,437

$25.44 PKR 7,040

0.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.6K

$190 PKR 52.6K

-41.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.39 ₹4,513

$127 PKR 35.0K

-62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₹18.5K

$236 PKR 65.4K

-17.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 ₹13.1K

$173 PKR 47.8K

-20.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$571 ₹54.4K

$763 PKR 211.2K

-25.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$345 ₹32.8K

$522 PKR 144.4K

-33.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$571 ₹54.4K

$185 PKR 51.2K

208.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

-34.38%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Multan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.8%

Multan

$88 15.7% 9.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

Multan

$60 10.8% 5.8% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

Multan

$71 12.6% 40.7% $20

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

Multan

$127 22.6% 167% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

Multan

$169 30.3% 630% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.4%

Multan

$33 5.8% 74.6% $14

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Multan

$12 2.2% 2% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $111 in Varanasi and $190 in Multan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varanasi pays about 3.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8 in Varanasi vs $11 in Multan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $81 vs $88 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇵🇰 Multan

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

30 min behind Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

1,871,843

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varanasi Multan 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
Multan

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

Varanasi vs Multan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Varanasi is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $111 in Varanasi versus $190 in Multan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $39 in Varanasi versus $42 in Multan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Multan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Varanasi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Varanasi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Multan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.