# DHA Rahbar vs Lake City Lahore: which is the better buy now? URL: https://which.pk/property/compare/dha-rahbar-vs-lake-city/ Author: Ahtisham Imtiaz Updated: 7 Oct 2026 ## Summary DHA Rahbar and Lake City sit a few kilometres apart in south-west Lahore and score close on our criteria (6.4 vs 6.0 out of 10). Rahbar is DHA Lahore's Phase XI, with DHA's legal standing; Lake City's named schemes are on LDA's list but cover less land than it's marketed as. After a 38% jump in a year, Lake City's 5 marla plots averaged about Rs 1.15 crore in August 2026, more than Rahbar's Rs 87.8 lakh in September. Lake City is the more established community. ## Key facts - 5 marla, DHA Rahbar: Rs 87.8 lakh - 5 marla, Lake City: Rs 1.15 crore - Legal basis: DHA law vs partial LDA - Plots listed for sale: 864 vs 1,313 This one is close. **DHA Rahbar** has the stronger legal footing and DHA's own possession records. **Lake City** is the more established community, has more plots on the market and has risen faster. After a **38% jump in a year**, Lake City's average 5 marla asking price (about **Rs 1.15 crore**, August 2026) is now above Rahbar's (**Rs 87.8 lakh**, September 2026). If you want DHA's title for less, Rahbar is the better value today. The table above compares both on our [seven criteria](/methodology/). ## Legal status **DHA Rahbar** is DHA Lahore's Phase XI, under DHA's 2002 law, so LDA approval doesn't apply. Sector V, the former KEMC society, was still being merged in December 2025. **Lake City** is a private scheme. LDA's approved list names Lake City Bella Vista (7,514 kanals in the 2021 copy) and, in the November 2025 copy, revisions, an "approval of unapproved pockets" entry and a separate Bella Verde scheme. The society is marketed as about 2,000 acres, and no source maps the approved schemes to sectors. See our [Lake City review](/property/lahore/lake-city-lahore/). ## Prices From June 2021, Rahbar's 5 marla average rose **61%** and Lake City's **119%**. Most of Lake City's gain came in the last year, after a flat stretch from early 2024 to mid-2025; fast rises can stall. For 10 marla, Rahbar averaged about **Rs 1.87 crore** and Lake City about **Rs 2.40 crore**. Lake City's developer sells new plots for more than either: Rs 1.5 to 2 crore for 5 marla in October 2026. ## Possession and utilities Rahbar's sectors I to IV have possession according to **DHA's notices**, several of them two to three years late. Lake City has been lived in for years, with a mall and golf course; the developer markets sectors M-6 to M-8 as developed, but the last neutral sector-level report dates from 2014. In Rahbar, **DHA meters water and sewerage** and issues gas NOCs. In Lake City, we found only the developer's claims on gas, electricity and water, so we can't score its utilities. ## Location They're neighbours: Rahbar is off New Defence Road about **13 km by road from Thokar Niaz Baig**; Lake City is a few kilometres south, beside the Ring Road's Raiwind Road interchange, about **17 km** from Thokar. ## Resale On 7 October 2026 Zameen listed **1,313 plots** in Lake City and **864** in DHA Rahbar. Rahbar transfers go through DHA's process at Rs 10,000 per marla. ## Who should choose which? - **DHA Rahbar:** buyers who put legal certainty first and want DHA standing for less, in Sectors I to IV. See our [DHA Rahbar review](/property/lahore/dha-rahbar/). - **Lake City:** buyers who want an established community with more on offer, in a sector they've confirmed with LDA, and who aren't buying at the developer's premium. Browse more [property comparisons](/property/compare/). ## DHA Rahbar (Phase XI): facts and scorecard - Approval: DHA approved - 5 marla plot: Rs 87.77 lakh - Possession: Partly given - Our score: 6.4/10 - Legal status: 8/10 (DHA's own Phase XI under its 2002 law; Sector V is still being merged.) - Possession & development: 7/10 (Sectors I to IV have possession per DHA notices, with delays of two to three years; nothing yet for Sector II Extension or V.) - Price & appreciation: 6/10 (5 marla asking prices up 61% from Jun 2021 to Sep 2026, but nearly flat from 2023 to 2025.) - Utilities: 6/10 (DHA-metered water and sewerage; DHA issues gas NOCs; electricity supplier unconfirmed.) - Developer track record: 6/10 (DHA delivers on its own land, though Rahbar's sectors ran two to three years late, and DHA partner projects have failed elsewhere.) - Location: 6/10 (About 13 km by road from Thokar Niaz Baig and 25.5 km from the GPO; detached from the main DHA phases.) - Resale liquidity: 6/10 (864 plots listed on Zameen (Oct 2026), far fewer than main DHA; DHA's formal transfer process applies.) ## Lake City Lahore: facts and scorecard - Approval: LDA: partly approved - 5 marla plot: Rs 1.15 crore - Possession: Partly given - Our score: 6.0/10 - Legal status: 6/10 (Named Lake City schemes are on LDA's approved list (2021, 2025 copies), but they cover less land than the society is marketed as, and sectors aren't mapped.) - Possession & development: 6/10 (Inhabited for years; current sector status comes only from the developer, and development was slow until at least 2014.) - Price & appreciation: 8/10 (5 marla asking prices more than doubled from Jun 2021 to Aug 2026, with a 38% jump in the last year.) - Utilities: Not enough evidence yet (Only developer claims on gas, electricity and water; no independent dated source.) - Developer track record: 5/10 (Delivered and inhabited, but slow: in 2014 sectors were unbuilt and ownership transfers overdue. No court rulings found against it.) - Location: 6/10 (About 17 km from Thokar Niaz Baig, next to a Ring Road interchange on Raiwind Road.) - Resale liquidity: 5/10 (1,313 plots listed on Zameen (Oct 2026), fewer than Bahria Town; price index since 2015; no time-to-sell data.) ## Questions people ask ### Which is better, DHA Rahbar or Lake City? They score close on our criteria: DHA Rahbar 6.4 and Lake City 6.0 out of 10. Rahbar wins on legal standing and possession records; Lake City on price growth, resale depth and how established it is. ### Is Lake City more expensive than DHA Rahbar? On Zameen's asking-price indexes, yes, for now: about Rs 1.15 crore for 5 marla in Lake City (August 2026) against Rs 87.8 lakh in Rahbar (September 2026). Lake City's average jumped 38% in the year to August 2026. ### Are DHA Rahbar and Lake City legal? DHA Rahbar is DHA Lahore's Phase XI, so LDA approval doesn't apply. Lake City's named schemes, such as Bella Vista, are on LDA's approved list, but no source shows which sectors they cover. ## Sources - [DHA Rahbar](https://dhalahore.org/dha-rahbar/), DHA Lahore (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Possession](https://dhalahore.org/possession/), DHA Lahore (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [LDA approved housing societies in Lahore, 2025 update](https://pakobserver.net/lda-approved-housing-societies-in-lahore-2025-update/), Pakistan Observer (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Promise not fulfilled: Lake City Housing Society deserted a decade after launch (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/2014/http://tribune.com.pk/story/732179/promise-not-fulfilled-lake-city-housing-society-deserted-a-decade-after-launch/), Express Tribune (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Residential plots](https://www.lakecitylahore.com/residential-plots), Lake City Holdings (developer) (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Residential plot price index, DHA 11 Rahbar, 5 marla](https://www.zameen.com/index/buy/residential_plots/lahore/dha-11-rahbar-1410/5-marla/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Residential plot price index, Lake City, 5 marla](https://www.zameen.com/index/buy/residential_plots/lahore/lake-city-1103/5-marla/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Plots for sale in DHA 11 Rahbar](https://www.zameen.com/Plots/Lahore_DHA_11_Rahbar-1410-1.html), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Plots for sale in Lake City, Lahore](https://www.zameen.com/Plots/Lahore_Lake_City-1103-1.html), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Oct 2026) - [Water & sewerage charges for residential buildings, DHA Phase XI](https://dhalahore.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/APPLICATION-FOR-WATER-SEWERAGE-NEW-.pdf), DHA Lahore (accessed 7 Oct 2026)