Building a House · Property
3 marla house construction cost in 2026: Rs 36.77 lakh grey and Rs 65.81 lakh finished in Lahore (Zameen, 16 Oct), plus 2.5 marla, by city and materials.
AI 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.
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.
| 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).
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.
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. For every plot size, see covered area and setbacks in Lahore.
Our construction material calculator 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.
For the next size up, see 5 marla house construction cost; for the overview, house construction cost in Pakistan.
More guides: grey structure cost, house construction stages, home loans in Pakistan.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Ask us. We read every question and reply by email when you leave one.
Building a House
Construction rate with material in Lahore: Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,500 a sq ft for grey structure; labour-only Rs 450 to Rs 850. Which is cheaper, and the risks.
Building a House
Grey structure cost per square foot in 2026: Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,032 on Zameen and Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,500 from Lahore builders. What's included, by city.
Building a House
House construction cost in Pakistan in 2026: Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,500 a sq ft for grey structure and Rs 4,384 to Rs 4,786 finished, from Zameen and a builder.
