Cost of living comparison

compared to

Islamabad vs. Kathmandu Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 11.7% more expensive than Kathmandu.

Restaurants: pay 12.8% more in Islamabad
Groceries: pay 14.9% less in Islamabad
Transportation: pay 33.6% less in Islamabad
Housing: pay 98.4% more in Islamabad
Childcare: pay 5.8% less in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 8.2% more in Islamabad
Clothing: pay 17.1% more in Islamabad

The cost of housing, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Islamabad are more expensive than in Kathmandu. Expenses including transportation, groceries, and childcare are lower in Islamabad. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Islamabad.

Islamabad vs. Kathmandu Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Islamabad instead of Kathmandu, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 12.8% more for restaurants

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.76 NPR251.43	$2.83 PKR797.05	+60.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.34 NPR905.14	$4.95 PKR1,394.83	-21.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.54 NPR77.36	$0.38 PKR108.41	-29.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.17 NPR24.29	$0.24 PKR67.84	+41.5%
Average			+12.8%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.9% less for groceries

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Bread 1 loaf	$0.55 NPR78.26	$0.67 PKR188.43	+21.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.49 NPR641.40	$3.36 PKR945.25	-25.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.16 NPR450.40	$3.75 PKR1,056.00	+18.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.77 NPR252.25	$1.23 PKR345.60	-30.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.40 NPR200.11	$1.48 PKR415.61	+5.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.97 NPR138.93	$0.49 PKR138.31	-49.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.45 NPR64.66	$0.37 PKR104.33	-18.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.54 NPR77.46	$0.40 PKR113.19	-26.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.30 NPR42.90	$0.24 PKR67.15	-20.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.22 NPR31.20	$0.17 PKR48.67	-21.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.29 NPR41.60	$0.24 PKR66.89	-18.6%
Average			-14.9%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of groceries

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pay 33.6% less for transportation

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.57 NPR652.11	$3.56 PKR1,003.00	-22.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$10.57 NPR1,508.56	$9.37 PKR2,640.22	-11.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$31,715.30 NPR4,525,675.66	$21,219.01 PKR5,977,857.69	-33.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$13.39 NPR1,910.84	$4.28 PKR1,205.53	-68.0%
Average			-33.6%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of transportation

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pay 98.4% more for housing

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$8.25 NPR1,177.13	$18.04 PKR5,081.18	+118.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$179.99 NPR25,683.31	$204.95 PKR57,738.51	+13.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$93.92 NPR13,402.12	$111.30 PKR31,356.08	+18.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$23.92 NPR3,412.74	$81.95 PKR23,085.99	+242.6%
Average			+98.4%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of housing

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pay 5.8% less for childcare

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$80.28 NPR11,456.30	$60.67 PKR17,092.94	-24.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,085.67 NPR440,316.24	$3,476.38 PKR979,372.35	+12.7%
Average			-5.8%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of childcare

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pay 8.2% more for entertainment and sports

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.61 NPR372.11	$3.01 PKR846.86	+15.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.78 NPR254.59	$2.08 PKR584.83	+16.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.82 NPR402.28	$2.12 PKR597.79	-24.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$21.82 NPR3,113.82	$21.87 PKR6,161.39	+0.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.17 NPR452.57	$4.24 PKR1,195.57	+33.8%
Average			+8.2%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 17.1% more for clothing

	Kathmandu	Islamabad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$22.91 NPR3,268.54	$21.22 PKR5,977.86	-7.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$26.63 NPR3,799.33	$27.98 PKR7,882.57	+5.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$56.89 NPR8,117.48	$91.73 PKR25,841.78	+61.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$36.56 NPR5,217.10	$40.09 PKR11,293.96	+9.7%
Average			+17.1%

Kathmandu vs. Islamabad - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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