Cost of living comparison

compared to

Islamabad vs. P'yongyang Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 4.1% more expensive than P'yongyang.

Restaurants
pay 62.1% less in Islamabad
Groceries
pay 40.9% less in Islamabad
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports
pay 40.3% less in Islamabad

Expenses including restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Islamabad. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Islamabad.

Islamabad vs. P'yongyang Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Islamabad instead of P'yongyang, you would:

pay 62.1% less for restaurants

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.81
KPW4,327
$3.61
PKR1,001.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$21.26
KPW19,136
$5.42
PKR1,501.50
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.21
KPW1,985
$0.34
PKR94.38

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pay 40.9% less for groceries

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Bread
1 loaf
$2.30
KPW2,071
$0.75
PKR208.08
Local cheese (8 oz) ?? $3.07
PKR851.66
Milk (1 gallon) $3.55
KPW3,195
$3.63
PKR1,006.51

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pay (unknown) more for transportation

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon) ?? $5.11
PKR1,415.96
Monthly public transit pass ?? $21.66
PKR6,006.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $54,159.34
PKR15M

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
?? $17.07
PKR4,732.00
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $89.58
KPW80,621
$273.02
PKR75,692.28
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $89.58
KPW80,621
$139.79
PKR38,755.38

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly ?? $74.62
PKR20,687.33
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $5,015.34
PKR1M

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pay 40.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $13.44
KPW12,093
$3.61
PKR1,001.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.12
KPW1,008
$2.65
PKR734.15
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
?? $2.30
PKR637.64

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
P'yongyang
Islamabad
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $24.82
PKR6,881.88
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
?? $34.87
PKR9,666.47
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
?? $96.43
PKR26,735.16

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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