LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Money & Costs
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Pakistan is an economical country in which to travel. How much you spend per day largely depends on your choice of accommodation and restaurants. Transport, excluding domestic air travel, is delightfully cheap by Western standards and foreign tourists/students are even given a generous train-ticket concession of 25%/50%. If you can muster up a few people, hiring a car with driver can be surprisingly affordable.
Roughly speaking, if you opt for rock-bottom accommodation, eat a minimal amount at the cheapest street eateries or self-cater (excluding imported groceries, which are available in the larger cities but are expensive compared with local products) and travel by public bus, you can subsist on between Rs 200 and Rs 250 per day, excluding extras such as long-distance travel, admission to museums, cinemas etc – but this means serious scrimping. An extra couple of hundred rupees will allow you a few autorickshaw rides (share to cut costs) and put more food in your belly.
If you’ve long been roughing it and need a night or two of pampering, a single room at a mid-range hotel ranges from around Rs 400 to 1000 per night; sharing a double room works out at less per person. Top-end hotels usually have a fairly similar single/double room rate (poor value for solo travellers), with the majority starting at about Rs 4000. However, many of the finest properties charge at least double this. Due to the downward spiral in foreign tourism over recent years, some mid-range and many top-end hotels will give discounts if requested. Don’t be shy to ask for one; top-end hotels have been known to slash room rates by as much as half during lean business periods. For a fancy restaurant feed, it’s generally more economical to opt for a buffet, where it exists, rather than à la carte – especially if you have a monster appetite.
Keep in mind that hotel rates, especially in northern Pakistan, may be subject to seasonal fluctuations and regional variations. Some hotels raise tariffs annually, so factor in possible increments on the prices provided in this book just to be on the safe side.
HOW MUCH?
Litre of petrol: Rs 33
1.5 litre of bottled water: Rs 22
Murree Classic Beer (bottle): Rs 78
Souvenir T-shirt: Rs 250
Samosa (deep-fried pastry triangle with spiced filling): Rs 4
Mars Bar: Rs 24
Clothes-washing powder (small sachet): Rs 5
Colgate toothpaste (130 grams): Rs 55
Internet connection (per hour): Rs 10 to 25
Toilet paper roll: Rs 15
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