# 5 marla house construction cost (2026): grey structure and finished, by city

URL: https://which.pk/property/guides/5-marla-house-construction-cost/
Author: Ahtisham
Updated: 19 Oct 2026

## Summary

Zameen's calculator, updated 16 October 2026, puts a 5 marla double storey in Lahore at Rs 58.26 lakh for grey structure and Rs 95.44 lakh finished, for about 2,025 sq ft. Karachi is slightly higher and Islamabad slightly lower. The builder Avenir estimates Rs 57.6 to 67.2 lakh grey. Our calculator gives Rs 29.2 to 40.3 lakh of cement, steel, bricks, sand and crush in Lahore at PBS September 2026 prices. LDA's limits allow about 1,688 sq ft on two floors.

## Key facts

- Grey structure, Lahore (Zameen, 16 Oct 2026): Rs 58.26 lakh
- Finished, Lahore (Zameen): Rs 95.44 lakh
- Main materials, Lahore (our calculator): Rs 29.2 to 40.3 lakh
- LDA covered area, two floors: About 1,688 sq ft

**A 5 marla house construction cost in Lahore is about Rs 58.26 lakh for grey structure and Rs 95.44 lakh finished**, on Zameen's calculator, updated 16 October 2026. That is for a double storey of about 2,025 sq ft, at Rs 2,877 and Rs 4,713 a sq ft. The builder Avenir Developments estimates Rs 57.6 to 67.2 lakh for grey structure in Lahore.

Neither is a quote. Below we break down what is inside those totals, what the main materials cost in 10 cities at official September 2026 prices, and how much LDA's rules let you build on 5 marla.

## 5 marla house construction cost by city in 2026

| City (5 marla, double storey) | Grey structure | Per sq ft | Finished | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lahore | Rs 58.26 lakh | Rs 2,877 | Rs 95.44 lakh | Rs 4,713 |
| Karachi | Rs 59.23 lakh | Rs 2,925 | Rs 96.92 lakh | Rs 4,786 |
| Islamabad | Rs 56.07 lakh | Rs 2,769 | Rs 93.37 lakh | Rs 4,611 |

Source: Zameen.com construction cost calculator, "with material", prices last updated 16 October 2026. Its 5 marla house has 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 2 kitchens.

Zameen's pages for Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar and Quetta showed identical fallback figures with no labour, so we left them out. Avenir's standard grey structure rate is higher than Zameen's: Rs 3,300 a sq ft in Lahore and Rs 3,500 in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and DHA Lahore. Avenir says DHA costs about 6% more because of its extra inspection stages.

## What is inside a 5 marla grey structure estimate?

Zameen splits its Lahore grey structure figure of Rs 58.26 lakh like this:

| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bricks, cement, sand and crush | Rs 33.3 lakh |
| Excavation and steel reinforcement | Rs 8.07 lakh |
| Roof insulation, termite proofing and waterproofing | Rs 60,320 |
| Labour for the structure | Rs 8.2 lakh |
| Plumbing (pipes, pumps and drains, labour) | Rs 6.63 lakh |
| Electrical conduits, switch boxes and labour | Rs 1.46 lakh |

Materials are Rs 48.52 lakh of the total and labour Rs 9.74 lakh, so labour is about 17% (our calculation). Pumps and drains alone are Rs 3.06 lakh of the plumbing line.

Finishing adds about **Rs 37 lakh**. Zameen's largest finishing items for 5 marla are tiles (Rs 10.65 lakh), paint and ceilings (Rs 5.59 lakh), wardrobes and cabinets (Rs 4.41 lakh), wires and cables (Rs 3.61 lakh) and bathroom fittings (Rs 3.78 lakh).

## How much cement, steel and bricks does a 5 marla house need?

Our [construction material calculator](/property/tools/construction-material-estimator/) uses published rules of thumb per sq ft and PBS (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics) prices. For a 1,975 sq ft double storey with load-bearing brick walls:

| Material | Quantity (estimate) | Zameen's 2021 breakdown, same area |
|---|---|---|
| Cement | 474 to 612 bags | 525 bags |
| Steel (sarya) | 2.8 to 3.8 tonnes | 3,000 kg, Grade 60 |
| Bricks | 45,400 to 59,300 | About 50,000 |
| Sand | 2,370 to 4,940 cft | 3,850 cft |
| Crush (bajri) | 1,130 to 1,720 cft | 1,500 cft |

These are estimates from rules of thumb, not an engineer's bill of quantities. A full RCC frame (concrete columns and beams) uses more: about 751 to 869 bags and 5.5 to 7.1 tonnes of steel for the same house.

## What do the main materials cost in your city?

The same quantities priced at each city's PBS prices for September 2026. These totals cover cement, steel, bricks, sand and crush only. Labour, plumbing, wiring, excavation and finishing are extra.

| City | Load-bearing brick walls | Full RCC frame |
|---|---|---|
| Lahore | Rs 29.2 to 40.3 lakh | Rs 38.5 to 49.5 lakh |
| Karachi | Rs 26.6 to 36.7 lakh | Rs 35.8 to 45.5 lakh |
| Islamabad | Rs 31.3 to 44.0 lakh | Rs 40.5 to 52.7 lakh |
| Rawalpindi | Rs 31.0 to 43.6 lakh | Rs 40.1 to 52.2 lakh |
| Faisalabad | Rs 27.2 to 37.3 lakh | Rs 36.7 to 46.7 lakh |
| Multan | Rs 24.8 to 34.3 lakh | Rs 34.7 to 44.4 lakh |
| Gujranwala | Rs 30.3 to 41.8 lakh | Rs 39.3 to 50.2 lakh |
| Peshawar | Rs 27.3 to 38.1 lakh | Rs 36.6 to 47.0 lakh |
| Quetta | Rs 23.6 to 32.4 lakh | Rs 33.7 to 42.6 lakh |
| Hyderabad | Rs 22.2 to 29.9 lakh | Rs 31.9 to 39.6 lakh |

1,975 sq ft covered, our calculator, PBS prices for September 2026. Steel is priced at PBS's Grade 40 rate; the published take-offs behind these rules assume Grade 60, which costs more, so the steel cost is on the low side.

Zameen's own Lahore figure for the same materials, Rs 41.37 lakh (bricks, cement, sand, crush, excavation and steel), sits just above our load-bearing range. Its house is slightly bigger, and its line includes excavation.

## How big can a 5 marla house be in Lahore?

In LDA-approved schemes, the ground floor may cover 75% of a 1,125 sq ft plot, about **844 sq ft**. You must leave 5 ft at the front and 5 ft at the rear. Up to 3 storeys and 38 ft are allowed, so two floors come to about 1,688 sq ft and three to about 2,531 sq ft.

That is less than the published examples assume: Zameen's 2021 breakdown has a 910 sq ft ground floor and 1,975 sq ft in all with the mumty (the stair room on the roof). At Zameen's rates, LDA's two floors plus a 175 sq ft mumty (1,863 sq ft) come to about **Rs 53.6 lakh grey** and **Rs 87.8 lakh finished** (our calculation).

DHA Lahore has its own rules: a 5 ft front and 3 ft rear space, and a first floor of up to 100% of the ground floor, according to Avenir's summary. See [covered area and setbacks in Lahore](/property/guides/covered-area-setbacks-lahore/) for every plot size.

**How we got these numbers, and what they are not:** The city totals are Zameen's calculator, read on 18 and 19 October 2026. Avenir's figures are its own published estimates. The material quantities come from published rules of thumb (Pakistani contractor and builder take-offs, listed on the [calculator page](/property/tools/construction-material-estimator/)), priced at PBS's September 2026 city averages. None of these is engineer-checked. For a real budget, get a bill of quantities from your structural engineer and price it with current quotes.

## What makes a 5 marla house cost more or less?

- **Structure.** A full RCC frame needs about twice the steel of load-bearing brick walls, which adds about Rs 9 lakh of materials in Lahore on our calculator.
- **Specification.** Avenir's Lahore grey rates run from Rs 3,000 a sq ft (its basic grade) to Rs 4,000 (luxury).
- **Covered area.** Every extra 100 sq ft adds about Rs 2.9 lakh grey and Rs 4.7 lakh finished at Zameen's Lahore rates.
- **Labour.** PBS puts a mason at Rs 2,461 a day and a labourer at Rs 1,747 in Lahore (September 2026). Avenir puts labour at Rs 650 to 850 a sq ft in Lahore.

For the bigger plot, see [10 marla house construction cost](/property/guides/10-marla-house-construction-cost/). For the all-sizes overview, see [house construction cost in Pakistan](/property/guides/house-construction-cost-pakistan/).

More guides: [construction material prices](/property/guides/construction-material-prices/), [building a house to rent out](/property/guides/building-a-house-to-rent-out/), [home loans in Pakistan](/money/guides/home-loan-pakistan/), [marla to square feet](/property/tools/marla-to-square-feet/).

## Questions people ask

### What is the 5 marla house construction cost in Lahore in 2026?

Zameen's calculator, updated 16 Oct 2026, gives Rs 58.26 lakh for grey structure and Rs 95.44 lakh finished, for a double storey of about 2,025 sq ft. The builder Avenir estimates Rs 57.6 to 67.2 lakh for grey structure.

### How many bricks and cement bags does a 5 marla house need?

For a 1,975 sq ft double storey with load-bearing brick walls, our calculator gives about 45,400 to 59,300 bricks and 474 to 612 bags of cement. Zameen's 2021 breakdown for the same area lists 50,000 bricks and 525 bags.

### What is the grey structure cost of a 5 marla house in Islamabad?

Zameen's calculator gives Rs 56.07 lakh, or Rs 2,769 a sq ft, as of 16 Oct 2026. Avenir's standard grey structure rate for Islamabad is higher, at Rs 3,500 a sq ft.

### How much does finishing add to a 5 marla house?

About Rs 37 lakh in Lahore on Zameen's figures: Rs 95.44 lakh finished minus Rs 58.26 lakh grey. Tiles are the largest finishing item, at Rs 10.65 lakh.

## Sources

- [5 marla grey structure construction cost in Lahore (updated 16 Oct 2026)](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/5-marla-grey-construction-cost-lahore-1/), Zameen.com (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- [5 marla house construction cost in Lahore, complete (updated 16 Oct 2026)](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/5-marla-house-construction-cost-lahore-1/), Zameen.com (accessed 19 Oct 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 18 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 18 Oct 2026)
- [Construction Cost of a 5 Marla House (A-Category), March 2021 rates](https://www.zameen.com/blog/construction-cost-a-category-5-marla-grey-structure.html), Zameen.com (rates from Alpha Construction Company) (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- [DHA Lahore building byelaws (reviewed Aug 2026)](https://avenirdevelopments.com/dha-lahore/building-byelaws/), Avenir Developments (accessed 19 Oct 2026)