Pakistan
How much does a trip to Pakistan cost? Daily budget and prices
Budget Rs 10,000–16,000 a day per person if you sleep in guesthouses, eat local food and take buses; Rs 25,000–45,000 mid-range with a good hotel and a shared car and driver; Rs 70,000+ for Serena-type hotels and private transport. Northern tours with a car, driver and guide usually run US$100–200 per person per day. Cards are unreliable north of Islamabad — carry rupees in cash.
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GuidePakistan
Key facts
- Currency
- Pakistani rupee (PKR, Rs); cash for almost everything outside big-city hotels and malls
- Budget tier
- Rs 10,000–16,000 per person per day: guesthouse, local food, buses, shared jeeps in the north
- Mid-range tier
- Rs 25,000–45,000 per person per day: good hotel, restaurants, shared car and driver, guide
- Comfort tier
- Rs 70,000+ per person per day: Serena-type hotels, private car and guide, flights
- Northern operator tours
- Typically US$100–200 per person per day including car, driver, guide and hotels
- Car and driver, north
- About US$80–150 a day for the group
- ATM withdrawal limit
- Often Rs 20,000–50,000 per withdrawal; machines in the north run out of cash in summer
- Cards
- Do not rely on them north of Islamabad; carry cash
- Chicken karahi for two
- Rs 1,800–3,500
- Cup of chai
- Rs 50–150
- Careem across Islamabad
- Rs 600–1,200
- Lahore Fort entry, foreignercheck
- About Rs 1,000
- Baltit Fort, Karimabad, foreignercheck
- About Rs 1,500–2,000
- Islamabad–Skardu flight
- Rs 20,000–40,000 one way
What each pace costs
Pakistan splits into two cost worlds. In Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi you can travel on a normal city budget: guesthouses and small hotels, local restaurants, Careem rides and buses. North of Islamabad, in Gilgit-Baltistan, almost every trip runs on a hired car and driver, and that single line item sets your daily spend more than your hotel does.
The tiers below are per person per day, 2026 estimates, and assume you are sharing transport. A solo traveller in the north pays close to the group rate for a car, so budget at the top of the band or join a tour.
| Tier | Per day (per person) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Rs 10,000–16,000 | Guesthouse, local food, buses; shared jeeps in the north |
| Mid-range | Rs 25,000–45,000 | Good hotel, restaurants, car and driver share, guide |
| Comfort | Rs 70,000+ | Serena-type hotels, private car and guide, flights |
2026 estimate. Northern operator tours typically cost US$100–200 per person per day including car, driver, guide and hotels.
Sample prices
Food is the cheapest part of a Pakistan trip and the easiest to control. A karahi shared between two, a plate of daal, naan and chai costs a fraction of a hotel meal. Transport is the opposite: short city rides are cheap, but any long road day in the mountains is a serious line in the budget.
Sightseeing tickets are modest by Western standards, though foreigner rates at the big monuments are higher than the local rate and are not always posted clearly — confirm at the gate.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Chicken karahi for two | Rs 1,800–3,500 |
| Cup of chai | Rs 50–150 |
| Careem across Islamabad | Rs 600–1,200 |
| Lahore Fort entry (foreigner) | About Rs 1,000 — check |
| Baltit Fort, Karimabad (foreigner) | About Rs 1,500–2,000 — check |
| Islamabad–Skardu flight | Rs 20,000–40,000 |
| Car and driver, north (per group per day) | About US$80–150 |
2026 estimate.
Cash, cards and ATMs
Plan your money before you leave Islamabad. Outside big-city hotels and malls, Pakistan runs on rupees in cash, and ATMs have low withdrawal limits — often Rs 20,000–50,000 per transaction — so a single machine may not cover a hotel bill. Machines in the north run out of cash in summer, when everyone is drawing at once.
Carry US dollars as backup and change them at a bank or a licensed exchange in a city, not on the street. Do not rely on cards north of Islamabad: assume the hotel, the driver and the guide all want cash. Budget a buffer of a few days' spending in rupees before you head to Hunza or Skardu.
- Withdraw in Islamabad or Lahore before heading north; take more than you think you need.
- Keep small notes for chai, tips and jeep fares.
- Tell your bank you are travelling; foreign cards are sometimes declined.
- Keep a card as emergency backup, not as your main budget.
What changes the bill
Group size. A car and driver at about US$80–150 a day is the same whether one person or four sit in it, so costs per person fall sharply as you add travellers. Solo travel in the north is the most expensive way to do it.
Route and season. Long road days in the mountains cost more than city days, and summer is the busy season in Gilgit-Baltistan, when hotels and jeeps are in demand — expect to pay more and book earlier (check current rates and availability).
Guides and permits. Some northern areas and sites require a guide or a permit, which is a fixed cost you cannot trim by choosing a cheaper hotel. Check current rules before you commit to a route.
- Sharing a car with other travellers is the single biggest saving in the north.
- Long road days cost more than long city days.
- Book northern transport and hotels early in summer (check).
How to cut costs
Stay in guesthouses and small hotels in the cities, eat where locals eat, and use Careem or local buses for city moves. Save your money for the north, where the car and driver are unavoidable if you want to see Hunza, Skardu or the Karakoram.
Book northern transport as a group and pick one mountain region rather than trying to cover the whole north. If your budget is tight, that choice matters more than any hotel discount.
- Guesthouses over hotels in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
- Local restaurants over hotel dining.
- Share a car and driver with other travellers.
- One northern region, done properly, beats three done badly.
Notes
Prices in Pakistan move with fuel costs, the rupee and the season, and foreigner ticket rates at monuments are not always posted clearly. Treat every figure here as a 2026 estimate and confirm the big ones — hotels, car and driver, flights — when you book.
This page is about money, not safety. Government advice for Pakistan is split by region, and your route should follow it before your budget does.
Questions people ask
How much money do you need per day in Pakistan?
Budget Rs 10,000–16,000 per person per day for guesthouses, local food and buses; Rs 25,000–45,000 mid-range with a good hotel and shared car and driver; Rs 70,000+ for comfort. Northern tours with a car, driver and guide usually cost US$100–200 per person per day. 2026 estimates.
Is Pakistan expensive for tourists?
Daily costs start at Rs 10,000–16,000 per person on the budget tier and rise to Rs 70,000+ for comfort hotels and private transport. The cost driver is transport: a hired car and driver in the north runs about US$80–150 a day for the group, so solo travellers pay nearly the full rate alone. 2026 estimates.
What do meals, hotels and transport cost in Pakistan?
A chicken karahi for two is Rs 1,800–3,500 and a cup of chai Rs 50–150. A Careem across Islamabad is Rs 600–1,200. Hotels range from budget guesthouses to Serena-type properties at the comfort tier. An Islamabad–Skardu flight is Rs 20,000–40,000 one way. 2026 estimates.
Can I use cards and ATMs in Pakistan?
In cities, sometimes. ATMs often limit withdrawals to Rs 20,000–50,000 and machines in the north run out of cash in summer. Do not rely on cards north of Islamabad. Carry rupees and US dollars as backup.
How much does a northern Pakistan tour cost?
Operators' northern tours typically run US$100–200 per person per day including car, driver, guide and hotels. A car and driver alone is about US$80–150 a day for the group, so sharing with other travellers cuts the per-person cost sharply.
How much should I budget for a 10-day trip to Pakistan?
Multiply the daily tier by your nights and add the big one-off costs: an Islamabad–Skardu flight at Rs 20,000–40,000 one way, and a car and driver in the north at about US$80–150 a day for the group. Check whether your tour price already includes transport before adding it. 2026 estimates.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check
Sources
- officialPakistan Tourism Development Corporation
- officialState Bank of Pakistan
- secondaryWikivoyage – Pakistan