# 3 marla house construction cost (2026): grey structure and finished, plus 2.5 marla

URL: https://which.pk/property/guides/3-marla-house-construction-cost/
Author: Ahtisham
Updated: 7 Nov 2026

## Summary

Zameen's calculator, updated 16 October 2026, puts a 3 marla house in Lahore at Rs 36.77 lakh for grey structure and Rs 65.81 lakh finished, for 1,215 sq ft (Rs 3,026 and Rs 5,416 a sq ft). Karachi is slightly higher, Islamabad lower. LDA's rules allow about 1,080 sq ft on two floors of a 3 marla plot, which comes to about Rs 32.7 lakh grey at Zameen's rates. A 2.5 marla house of 900 sq ft comes to about Rs 27.2 lakh grey and Rs 48.7 lakh finished.

## Key facts

- Grey structure, Lahore (Zameen, 16 Oct 2026): Rs 36.77 lakh
- Finished, Lahore (Zameen): Rs 65.81 lakh
- Grey rate per sq ft, Lahore: Rs 3,026
- LDA covered area, two floors: About 1,080 sq ft

**A 3 marla house construction cost in Lahore is about Rs 36.77 lakh for grey structure and Rs 65.81 lakh finished**, on Zameen's calculator, updated 16 October 2026. That is for a house of 1,215 sq ft, at Rs 3,026 and Rs 5,416 a sq ft. On LDA's limits a 3 marla plot in Lahore takes about 1,080 sq ft on two floors, so a smaller house costs less.

Neither figure is a quote. Below: costs by city, the 2.5 marla figure, what LDA lets you build, and the main materials at official September 2026 prices.

## 3 marla house construction cost by city in 2026

| City (3 marla, 1,215 sq ft) | Grey structure | Per sq ft | Finished | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lahore | Rs 36.77 lakh | Rs 3,026 | Rs 65.81 lakh | Rs 5,416 |
| Karachi | Rs 37.37 lakh | Rs 3,075 | Rs 66.93 lakh | Rs 5,508 |
| Islamabad | Rs 35.46 lakh | Rs 2,918 | Rs 64.6 lakh | Rs 5,317 |

Source: Zameen.com construction cost calculator, "with material", prices last updated 16 October 2026, read 7 November 2026. Its default 3 marla house has 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 2 kitchens.

In Lahore, Zameen splits the grey figure into **Rs 30.92 lakh of materials** and **Rs 5.84 lakh of labour**, so labour is about 16% (our calculation). Inside it, foundation and structure are Rs 30.59 lakh, plumbing Rs 5.15 lakh (of which pumps and drains Rs 3.01 lakh) and electrical work Rs 1.03 lakh. Finishing adds about **Rs 29 lakh**.

The builder Avenir Developments quotes a higher standard grey rate: Rs 3,300 a sq ft in Lahore and Rs 3,500 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi (reviewed Q4 2026).

## What does a 2.5 marla house cost?

Zameen's calculator has no 2.5 marla option, so we applied its Lahore rates to LDA's limits. A 2.5 marla plot (562.5 sq ft at LDA's 225 sq ft marla) allows a ground floor of about 450 sq ft, so two floors come to about **900 sq ft**:

| Size (Lahore, at Zameen's 16 Oct 2026 rates) | Covered area | Grey structure | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 marla, two floors | About 900 sq ft | About Rs 27.2 lakh | About Rs 48.7 lakh |
| 3 marla, two floors | About 1,080 sq ft | About Rs 32.7 lakh | About Rs 58.5 lakh |
| 3 marla, Zameen's default house | 1,215 sq ft | Rs 36.77 lakh | Rs 65.81 lakh |

These are our calculations, not Zameen's figures. Smaller houses cost more per sq ft on Zameen's own figures (Rs 3,026 grey for 3 marla against Rs 2,877 for 5 marla in Lahore), so treat the 2.5 marla line as a floor.

## How much covered area can you build on 3 marla?

In LDA-approved schemes, a plot **under 5 marla** may cover **80%** of the ground, up to 3 storeys and 38 ft, with a floor area ratio of 1:2.4. You leave 5 ft at the front and 5 ft at the rear, and no side space.

| Plot (LDA marla, 225 sq ft) | Plot area | Ground floor (80%) | Two floors | Most allowed (FAR 1:2.4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 marla | 562.5 sq ft | 450 sq ft | 900 sq ft | 1,350 sq ft |
| 3 marla | 675 sq ft | 540 sq ft | 1,080 sq ft | 1,620 sq ft |

Zameen's 1,215 sq ft house is bigger than two LDA floors on a 3 marla plot. Outside Lahore district, many Punjab schemes use a 272 sq ft marla, so the same "3 marla" is a bigger plot; see [marla to square feet](/property/tools/marla-to-square-feet/). For every plot size, see [covered area and setbacks in Lahore](/property/guides/covered-area-setbacks-lahore/).

## How many bricks, bags of cement and sarya does a 3 marla house need?

Our [construction material calculator](/property/tools/construction-material-estimator/) uses published rules of thumb per sq ft. For 1,215 sq ft with load-bearing brick walls:

| Material | Quantity (estimate) |
|---|---|
| Cement | 292 to 377 bags |
| Steel (sarya) | 1.7 to 2.3 tonnes |
| Bricks | 27,900 to 36,500 |
| Sand | 1,460 to 3,040 cft |
| Crush (bajri) | 690 to 1,060 cft |

Priced at each city's PBS (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics) averages for September 2026, these five materials alone cost:

| City | Load-bearing brick walls | Full RCC frame |
|---|---|---|
| Lahore | Rs 18.0 to 24.8 lakh | Rs 23.7 to 30.5 lakh |
| Karachi | Rs 16.4 to 22.6 lakh | Rs 22.0 to 28.0 lakh |
| Islamabad | Rs 19.3 to 27.1 lakh | Rs 24.9 to 32.4 lakh |
| Rawalpindi | Rs 19.1 to 26.8 lakh | Rs 24.7 to 32.1 lakh |

For LDA's 1,080 sq ft in Lahore, the load-bearing range drops to **Rs 16.0 to 22.0 lakh**. PBS hadn't published October prices when we checked on 7 November 2026.

**What these numbers are not:** The city totals are Zameen's calculator. The quantities are rules of thumb, not an engineer's bill of quantities, and leave out labour, plumbing, wiring, excavation, wastage and finishing. For a real budget, get a bill of quantities from your structural engineer and price it with current quotes.

## How can you cut the cost?

- **Build to the size you need.** Every 100 sq ft adds about Rs 3 lakh grey and Rs 5.4 lakh finished at Zameen's Lahore rates.
- **Choose the structure with your engineer.** A full RCC frame adds about Rs 5.7 lakh of materials in Lahore for 1,215 sq ft on our calculator, compared with load-bearing walls.
- **Know the labour rate.** PBS put a mason at Rs 2,461 a day and a labourer at Rs 1,747 in Lahore in September 2026. See [contractor with material vs labour rate](/property/guides/contractor-with-material-vs-labour-rate/).
- **Price materials yourself** before you accept a with-material rate: [construction material prices](/property/guides/construction-material-prices/).

For the next size up, see [5 marla house construction cost](/property/guides/5-marla-house-construction-cost/); for the overview, [house construction cost in Pakistan](/property/guides/house-construction-cost-pakistan/).

More guides: [grey structure cost](/property/guides/grey-structure-cost/), [house construction stages](/property/guides/house-construction-stages/), [home loans in Pakistan](/money/guides/home-loan-pakistan/).

## Questions people ask

### What is the 3 marla house construction cost in Pakistan in 2026?

Zameen's calculator, updated 16 Oct 2026, gives Rs 36.77 lakh grey and Rs 65.81 lakh finished in Lahore, Rs 37.37 lakh and Rs 66.93 lakh in Karachi, and Rs 35.46 lakh and Rs 64.6 lakh in Islamabad, for a 1,215 sq ft house.

### What is the 3 marla house construction cost per square foot?

On Zameen's calculator: Rs 3,026 a sq ft grey and Rs 5,416 finished in Lahore, Rs 3,075 and Rs 5,508 in Karachi, and Rs 2,918 and Rs 5,317 in Islamabad (16 Oct 2026).

### What is the construction cost of a 2.5 marla house?

Zameen has no 2.5 marla option. At its Lahore rates, a 900 sq ft double storey (LDA's two-floor limit on 2.5 marla) comes to about Rs 27.2 lakh grey and Rs 48.7 lakh finished, our calculation.

### How many bricks and cement bags does a 3 marla house need?

For 1,215 sq ft with load-bearing brick walls, our calculator gives about 27,900 to 36,500 bricks, 292 to 377 bags of cement and 1.7 to 2.3 tonnes of steel.

## Sources

- [3 marla grey structure construction cost in Lahore (updated 16 Oct 2026)](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/3-marla-grey-construction-cost-lahore-1/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [3 marla house construction cost in Lahore, complete (updated 16 Oct 2026)](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/3-marla-house-construction-cost-lahore-1/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [3 marla grey structure construction cost in Karachi](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/3-marla-grey-construction-cost-karachi-2/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [3 marla house construction cost in Karachi, complete](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/3-marla-house-construction-cost-karachi-2/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [3 marla grey structure construction cost in Islamabad](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/3-marla-grey-construction-cost-islamabad-3/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [3 marla house construction cost in Islamabad, complete](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/3-marla-house-construction-cost-islamabad-3/), Zameen.com (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [Urban Inter-City Consumer Prices of Construction and Energy Items, September 2026](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Urbn-Construction-11.xlsx), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (accessed 7 Nov 2026)
- [Amended Building Regulations 2019 (LDA file, 9 Feb 2026)](https://lda.gop.pk/downloads/file/09-02-2026-amended-building-regulations-2019-w), Lahore Development Authority (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- [LDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2019, amended to 28 Jan 2020 (third-party copy)](https://khalidzafar.com/wp-content/files_mf/1685711737LDAAmendedBuildingRegulations2019.pdf), Lahore Development Authority (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- [Grey Structure Cost Calculator (2026)](https://avenirdevelopments.com/house-construction-cost/grey-structure-cost/), Avenir Developments (accessed 19 Oct 2026)