Lahore at a glance
- Lahore ranks 7th of 9 priced cities in Pakistan on cost: $345 a month in essentials, 39% above Quetta, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $186 covers that 0.5×.
- PM2.5 averages 68.3 µg/m³ a year, 14× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Pakistan cities we track, so every row says whether Lahore is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $345 | $305 | $40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $77 | $74 | $4 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $148 | $120 | $28 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $52 | $52 | same |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $65 | $54 | $11 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $144 | $119 | $25 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $7 | $7 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $186 | $179 | $7 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $191 | $164 | $26 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $322 | $242 | 1.33× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Lahore, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.52 | $2.34 | $0.18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $18.01 | $11.71 | 1.54× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $5.58 | $5.40 | $0.18 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.49 | $1.72 | 1.45× as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.41 | $0.34 | $0.07 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.26 | $0.23 | $0.04 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.86 | $0.85 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.69 | $0.59 | $0.09 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.18 | $1.21 | $0.03 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.19 | $1.21 | $0.02 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $6.10 | $6.03 | $0.07 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $2.53 | $2.83 | $0.30 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.17 | $1.15 | $0.02 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $0.62 | $0.60 | $0.02 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $0.59 | $0.53 | $0.06 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.27 | $0.30 | $0.03 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.32 | $0.34 | $0.02 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.34 | $0.40 | $0.06 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.18 | $0.18 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $4.86 | $9.00 | 1.85× as much |
| Taxi start | $0.90 | $0.90 | same |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.72 | $0.72 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.27 | $1.15 | $0.12 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $127.61 | $104.45 | $23.16 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $15.98 | $14.75 | $1.23 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $5.22 | $5.60 | $0.38 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $18.35 | $16.83 | $1.52 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $4.32 | $4.05 | $0.27 |
How Lahore ranks against every city we track
Lahore sits ahead of 97% of the 553 cities we track on city-centre rent. On cost of living it is ahead of 95% of 542. Its weakest measure is clean air, ahead of only 0% of 898.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Lahore sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Ibnazhar, CC BY-SA 3.0.
