Moving to India from Pakistan
What to Expect
Considering a move from Pakistan to India? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Pakistan to India, you would find that India is 13.7% cheaper than Pakistan overall. A PKR21,000,000 salary in Pakistan would need to be roughly ₹6,330,000 in India to maintain the same lifestyle.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Pakistan and India.
What does your salary buy?
PKR21,000,000 → ₹6,330,000
To maintain the same standard of living in India
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 15.0% less
Groceries
pay 3.3% less
Transportation
pay 29.8% less
Housing
pay 15.4% less
Childcare
pay 8.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.4% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in India cost about 28% less than cities in Pakistan.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Pakistan to India.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in India compared to Pakistan.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Pakistan generally does better on safety, though India leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Pakistan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though India leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Pakistan generally does better on environment, though India leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
India performs significantly better than Pakistan across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
India generally does better on employment & economy, though Pakistan leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
India performs significantly better than Pakistan across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan (2016), Ministry of Finance, Government of India (2016), The World Factbook (2011). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Islamabad | Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/44°F (21°/7°C) | 76°/52°F (25°/11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/68°F (35°/20°C) | 101°/78°F (38°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 94°/74°F (34°/23°C) | 93°/79°F (34°/26°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 78°/48°F (26°/9°C) | 82°/56°F (28°/14°C) |
View all months
| Month | Islamabad | Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64°/38°F (17.9°/3.2°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Feb | 68°/43°F (19.8°/6.0°C) | 75°/51°F (23.7°/10.3°C) |
| Mar | 76°/51°F (24.5°/10.7°C) | 85°/60°F (29.6°/15.4°C) |
| Apr | 87°/60°F (30.5°/15.8°C) | 97°/71°F (36.0°/21.5°C) |
| May | 97°/69°F (36.0°/20.7°C) | 104°/79°F (39.8°/26.2°C) |
| Jun | 101°/75°F (38.4°/23.8°C) | 103°/83°F (39.4°/28.3°C) |
| Jul | 96°/76°F (35.3°/24.4°C) | 95°/81°F (35.2°/27.0°C) |
| Aug | 93°/75°F (33.7°/23.8°C) | 92°/79°F (33.6°/26.2°C) |
| Sep | 93°/70°F (33.7°/21.1°C) | 93°/76°F (34.0°/24.7°C) |
| Oct | 88°/58°F (30.9°/14.5°C) | 91°/67°F (32.9°/19.4°C) |
| Nov | 79°/47°F (25.9°/8.3°C) | 82°/55°F (28.0°/12.8°C) |
| Dec | 68°/40°F (20.2°/4.3°C) | 73°/47°F (22.7°/8.4°C) |
India Meteorological DepartmentVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Pakistan and India. To live, work, or study long-term in India, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check India's immigration authority.
Pakistan passport holder visiting India
Visa Required
India passport holder visiting Pakistan
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in India than Pakistan?
On average India is about 14% less expensive than Pakistan, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to India?
Budget about ₹1,582,500 for 3 months in India (based on a PKR21,000,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from India?
Connectivity is usually fine (India: 3.1 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does India offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is India safe for expats?
Pakistan generally does better on safety, though India leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in India is 2.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 4.3 in Pakistan.
How is healthcare in India compared to Pakistan?
Pakistan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though India leads in health coverage index. There are 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people in India, compared to 11.6 in Pakistan. India scores 63 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Pakistan: 45).
What's the weather like in India compared to Pakistan?
The average high temperature in Delhi is 88°F, compared to 84°F in Islamabad. Delhi receives around 28.2 in of rainfall per year, while Islamabad gets 49.1 in.
What language do they speak in India?
The official languages in India are English, Hindi and Tamil. In Pakistan, the official languages are English and Urdu.
