Here’s exactly how much it costs to go backpacking in Pakistan

How much does it cost to go backpacking in Pakistan? This budget report will give you all the answers. Includes a city-by-city breakdown, average costs for common expenses, and recommendations for budget accommodations.

Curious about Pakistan? Let me show you the Pakistan I’ve come to know and love on one of my unique Pakistan tours.

Exchange rate used for this trip: €1 = 117 Rs

Checking out the vistas of the Hunza valley, home to insane amounts of fruit, epic mountains, and… hash?

How much does it cost to go backpacking in Pakistan?

Total cost of backpacking for 45 days

• For two people: 136,386 Rs / €1,166 / $1,236
• Per person: 68,193 Rs / €583 / $618

Average cost per person

• Total per day: 1,515 Rs / €12.95 / $13.75
• Food and drinks per day: 300 – 500 Rs / €2.60 – 4.30 / $2.75 – 4.55
• Accommodation per day: 500 – 750 Rs / €4.30 – 6.40 / $4.55 – 6.80

Note: prices for rooms in Pakistan are usually per room. A solo traveler can expect to pay a bit more than the stated price. However, if you bargain well it shouldn’t be much more. Or better yet, stay with locals!

• Local long distance bus: 300 – 500 Rs / €2.60 – 4.30 / $2.75 – 4.55
• VIP long distance bus: 750 – 1500 Rs / €6.40 – 12.50 / $6.80 – 13.25
• Taxis and rickshaws: 100 – 500 Rs / €0.85 – 4.30 / $0.90 – 4.55
• Historical sights and national parks: 500 – 800 Rs / €4.30 – 6.80 / $4.55 – 7.20

The streets of Sehwan Sharif, home to the famous (and crazy) Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine.

City by city breakdown

Average amount spent per day in each city, for one person. Includes transport to the city. We added our journey from the border to Karachi as good measure, but advise you not to take this route.

• Taftan to Quetta: 293 Rs / €2.50 / $2.65
• Quetta: 1,895 Rs / €16.20 / $17.15
  • We stayed at Bloomstar Hotel
• Transit to Karachi: 1,140 Rs / €9.75 / $10.35
• Karachi: 2,062 Rs / €18 / $19.10
  • We stayed at Al Dubai Hotel
• Thatta/Makli: 2,200 Rs / €19 / $20.15
  • We recommend SRO Guesthouse
• Hyderabad: no costs made!
  • We were hosted while we stayed here
• Sewan Sharif: 50 Rs / €0.40 / $0.45
  • We were hosted while we stayed here
• Larkana: 100 Rs / €0.85 / $0.90
  • We were hosted while we stayed here
• Bahawalpur: 2,973 Rs / €23.90 / $25.35
  • We stayed at Grand Regency Hotel, but technically you cannot stay here as a foreigner!
• Lahore: 1,224 Rs / €10.45 / $11.10
  • We were hosted for most of our stay here, the other days we stayed at Lahore Backpackers (Don’t buy tours or an LOI from Lahore Backpackers!)
• Islamabad:1,138 Rs /€9.70 / $10.30
  • We were hosted while we stayed here
• Naran: 1,970 Rs / €16,85 / $17.90
  • We stayed at Naran Hotel and Green Mountain Hotel
• Chilas: 2,045 Rs / €17.50 / $18.55
  • We stayed at Shangri-La Hotel, one of two options available for foreigners
• Fairy Meadows: 1,208 Rs / €10.30 / $10.90
  • We were hosted while we stayed here
• Skardu: 4,123 Rs / €35.25 / $34.35
  • We stayed at Hotel Dewanekhas
• Skardu/Deosai: 520 Rs / €4.45 / $4.70
  • We camped in Deosai and could sleep at Concordia Hotel for free!
• Gilgit: 1,650 Rs / €14.10 / $14.95
  • We stayed at Madina Hotel 2 but also recommend Serene Guest House (phone: +92-346-5466101)
• Karimabad: 1,131 Rs / €9.70 / $10.30
  • We recommend Old Hunza Inn
• Sost: 3,185 Rs / €27.20 / $27.85
  • We stayed at Pamir Sarai, and don’t recommend it!

Having a (free) iftar dinner with the family of Let’s Go to Pakistan, an organization dedicated to welcoming foreigners to Pakistan.

Before we give you the breakdown, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• We only included costs we think are relevant to the average traveler. We doubt anyone cares about the clothing we bought, so we didn’t include these costs in our public spreadsheet.
• Couchsurfing is very popular in Pakistan, and we suggest you make use of it. Gifts from home are appreciated, but hosts will refuse any attempt at payment with the ever so friendly “you are our guest”.
• Pakistanis are going to invite you to stay with them quite often, and they’ll pay for everything when they do. This greatly reduced our costs. Given how common this is, we figured we’d leave the freebie days in when making our calculations. Say yes to invitations!

How we could’ve spent even less

• Travel in winter. We traveled in summer, which meant extreme heat. This made us decide to spend a bit more on hotels with AC every once in a while. Places without AC are significantly cheaper.
• Couchsurf or stay with people even more. We were hosted plenty of times, and needed some privacy in between. However, it’s totally possible to be hosted anywhere you go.

Looking the part of the scruffy backpacker as we traveled from the border of Iran into Pakistan, one of the longest border crossings in the world.

Context/how we roll

We’re your typical wanderin’ backpacker duo:

• Always walk or take public transport… unless there is none. (Or we’re reeeally lost…)
• Usually eat cheap meals and fast food for at least 2 meals a day.
• Sleep in the cheapest accommodation we can find that isn’t crawling with bedbugs or covered with old vomit. Usually opt for a private double rather than dorms.
• We don’t like museums.

Want more information about Pakistan? Here are some serious dangers of traveling in Pakistan 😉

Yay transparency: the hostel link here is an affiliate link, which means we’ll make a small commission if you book a stay through our link (at no extra cost to you). Don’t worry–we actually stayed there, and we truly do recommend it! Links like these are how we maintain the costs of running the blog, and we’ll love you forever and ever if you do!