# House construction cost in Pakistan (2026): per sq ft, grey structure and finishing, by city

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

## Summary

No official per-square-foot cost exists. Zameen's calculator, updated 16 October 2026, puts grey structure at Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,032 a sq ft and a finished house at Rs 4,384 to Rs 4,786 in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The builder Avenir quotes Rs 3,300 (Lahore) and Rs 3,500 (Islamabad and Rawalpindi) for standard grey structure. On Zameen's figures, a 10 marla double storey in Lahore comes to about Rs 97 lakh grey or Rs 1.54 crore finished. PBS shows inputs up 6.24% and wages 9.69% in a year.

## Key facts

- Grey structure (Zameen, 16 Oct 2026): Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,032 a sq ft
- Finished house (Zameen, 16 Oct 2026): Rs 4,384 to Rs 4,786 a sq ft
- Building inputs, in a year (PBS): +6.24% urban
- Official per-sq-ft rate: None published

House construction cost in Pakistan in 2026 is about **Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,500 a square foot for grey structure**, from two named estimates, and **Rs 4,384 to Rs 4,786 for a finished house** on Zameen's calculator. No official figure exists. Zameen's calculator, updated 16 October 2026, gives Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,032 for grey structure in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The builder Avenir quotes Rs 3,300 in Lahore and Rs 3,500 in Islamabad for a standard specification.

Neither figure is a quote for your house. Below we show what each estimate assumes, what drives the gap, and the official material prices (from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, PBS) you can check a contractor's quote against.

## House construction cost per square foot in 2026

| | Lahore | Karachi | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grey structure, 5 marla | Rs 2,877 | Rs 2,925 | Rs 2,769 |
| Grey structure, 10 marla | Rs 2,874 | Rs 2,921 | Rs 2,762 |
| Grey structure, 1 kanal | Rs 2,985 | Rs 3,032 | Rs 2,865 |
| Finished, 5 marla | Rs 4,713 | Rs 4,786 | Rs 4,611 |
| Finished, 10 marla | Rs 4,550 | Rs 4,615 | Rs 4,443 |
| Finished, 1 kanal | Rs 4,499 | Rs 4,557 | Rs 4,384 |

Source: Zameen.com construction cost calculator, "with material", double storey, prices last updated 16 October 2026. Per square foot of covered area.

Avenir Developments, a construction firm, publishes its own rates. For standard grey structure in the last quarter of 2026 it charges **Rs 3,300 a sq ft in Lahore** and **Rs 3,500 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi**, with DHA Lahore at Rs 3,500 and DHA Islamabad at Rs 3,710. Its Q3 2026 benchmark for a standard finished house is Rs 4,400 to Rs 6,500 a sq ft.

Avenir's Lahore grey rate is about 15% above Zameen's 10 marla figure (our calculation). We couldn't get usable Zameen figures for other cities: the pages we tried for Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar and Quetta showed identical fallback numbers with no labour cost, so we left them out.

## What does a 5 marla, 10 marla or 1 kanal house cost to build?

| Plot (double storey) | Covered area (Zameen's total ÷ its rate) | Grey structure, Lahore | Finished, Lahore |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 marla | 2,025 sq ft | Rs 58.26 lakh | Rs 95.44 lakh |
| 10 marla | 3,375 sq ft | Rs 97 lakh | Rs 1.54 crore |
| 1 kanal | 6,300 sq ft | Rs 1.88 crore | Rs 2.83 crore |

Karachi comes out slightly higher (10 marla grey Rs 98.58 lakh, finished Rs 1.56 crore) and Islamabad slightly lower (Rs 93.21 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore). Avenir's own grey structure estimate for a 10 marla house in Lahore, without basement, is **Rs 98 lakh to Rs 1.11 crore**.

Your covered area may differ from Zameen's default. Under LDA's 2019 building regulations (as amended to January 2020), in LDA-approved schemes a house on a 5 to under 10 marla plot may cover up to 75% of the plot and rise 3 storeys; from 10 marla to under 1 kanal, 70% and 4 storeys. Convert your plot first with the [marla to square feet converter](/property/tools/marla-to-square-feet/), because a marla isn't the same size everywhere.

## What does grey structure include?

Zameen describes grey structure as the materials for "foundation, floors, walls, roofing, and plastering". Avenir's list is longer:

- excavation, foundations, termite proofing and the damp proof course
- brick masonry and RCC (reinforced concrete) columns, beams and slabs
- cement plaster
- underground sewerage, water and gas pipes, and electrical conduits laid in the structure

Finishing covers the rest: flooring and tiles, paint, wiring, switches and fittings, bathroom fittings, the kitchen, and windows. Avenir also leaves out the boundary wall, design fees, approval charges and utility connections. Even these two lists differ, and Avenir notes it often leaves out ceiling plaster where a false ceiling is planned. Ask any contractor for the list in writing before you compare prices.

**Finishing adds, 10 marla Lahore:** About Rs 1,676 a sq ft (Zameen's finished rate (Rs 4,550) minus its grey structure rate (Rs 2,874), 16 Oct 2026. Our calculation.)

## Why do construction quotes differ so much?

The same house can be quoted Rs 2,800 or Rs 3,500 a square foot. These are the reasons the two estimates give:

- **Specification.** Steel grade, the source of sand and crush, the type of damp proof course and door frames all change the rate, Avenir says. Its Lahore range runs from Rs 3,000 ("Essential") to Rs 4,000 ("Luxury") for grey structure.
- **Plot size.** Bigger houses need thicker slabs and deeper beams, Avenir says, so they cost more per sq ft. Zameen's grey structure figures show this: 1 kanal costs more per sq ft than 10 marla in all three cities.
- **Basement.** Avenir prices it separately, at Rs 4,300 a sq ft in Lahore and Rs 4,500 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
- **Soil and design.** Rocky ground in parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi makes foundations harder. Cantilevers, long spans and double-height rooms add cost.
- **Society rules.** Avenir adds about 6% in DHA for the extra inspection stages there.
- **Labour.** Zameen's Lahore 10 marla grey estimate has Rs 16.23 lakh of labour in Rs 97 lakh, about Rs 481 a sq ft. Avenir puts labour at Rs 650 to Rs 850 a sq ft in Lahore and Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Many people also ask about "without material" (labour-only) rates. We found no dated, sourced rate for that, so we don't quote one.

## What do materials and labour cost now?

PBS publishes official monthly prices for 35 cities. In September 2026:

| City | Cement (50 kg bag) | Sarya, Grade 40 (tonne) | Bricks (1,000) | Mason (day) | Labourer (day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lahore | Rs 1,586 | Rs 231,380 | Rs 24,831 | Rs 2,461 | Rs 1,747 |
| Karachi | Rs 1,467 | Rs 241,542 | Rs 22,000 | Rs 2,482 | Rs 1,500 |
| Islamabad | Rs 1,507 | Rs 246,167 | Rs 27,016 | Rs 2,405 | Rs 1,500 |
| Rawalpindi | Rs 1,498 | Rs 245,633 | Rs 26,694 | Rs 2,370 | Rs 1,500 |
| Multan | Rs 1,590 | Rs 238,999 | Rs 16,533 | Rs 1,909 | Rs 1,153 |
| Peshawar | Rs 1,563 | Rs 235,167 | Rs 21,439 | Rs 2,421 | Rs 1,466 |
| Quetta | Rs 1,560 | Rs 249,967 | Rs 15,242 | Rs 2,194 | Rs 1,449 |

Sand, bajri, plumber and electrician rates, and the other cities, are in [construction material prices in Pakistan](/property/guides/construction-material-prices/).

## Is house construction getting more expensive?

Yes. PBS's urban consumer index for construction input items was **6.24% higher** in September 2026 than a year earlier, and construction wages **9.69% higher**. In rural areas, inputs rose 18.08%.

At wholesale, bricks, blocks and tiles rose 10.69% in the year, steel bars and sheets 5.29% and cement 3.51%. Cement and steel both dipped a little from August to September.

**How we got these numbers, and what they are not:** No government body publishes a construction cost per square foot. We read Zameen's calculator for 18 combinations of plot, city and grey or finished on 18 October 2026, and Avenir's published rates. Both are commercial estimates, and neither publishes the quantities behind its totals.

The material prices are PBS's. Our [construction material calculator](/property/tools/construction-material-estimator/) turns them into a materials total for your covered area, using rules of thumb published by Pakistani contractors and builders, not an engineer's quantities. For a real budget, get a bill of quantities from your structural engineer and price it with current quotes.

## Plan the rest of the build

If you plan to let part of the house, read [building a house to rent out](/property/guides/building-a-house-to-rent-out/) before the drawings are final. It covers separate meters, the rent each layout earns and the tax. For finance, see [home loans in Pakistan](/money/guides/home-loan-pakistan/) and the [Akhuwat house loan](/money/guides/akhuwat-loan/).

More guides: [property tax in Punjab](/property/guides/property-tax-punjab/), [is solar worth it](/solar/guides/is-solar-worth-it-pakistan/), [Property](/property/).

## Questions people ask

### What is the construction cost per square foot in Pakistan?

There is no official figure. Zameen's calculator (updated 16 Oct 2026) gives Rs 2,762 to Rs 3,032 a sq ft for grey structure and Rs 4,384 to Rs 4,786 for a finished house in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. One builder, Avenir, quotes Rs 3,300 to Rs 3,500 for standard grey structure.

### What is the 10 marla house construction cost in Lahore?

Zameen's calculator puts a 10 marla double storey in Lahore (3,375 sq ft covered) at Rs 97 lakh for grey structure and Rs 1.54 crore finished, as of 16 Oct 2026. Avenir's own estimate for grey structure is Rs 98 lakh to Rs 1.11 crore.

### What does grey structure include?

Usually the foundation, brick walls, RCC columns, beams and roof slabs, plaster, and the pipes and electrical conduits laid in walls and floors. Tiles, paint, wiring, fittings, the kitchen and windows come later in finishing. Contractors draw the line differently, so ask for a written list.

### How much does a basement add per square foot?

Avenir prices a standard basement separately at Rs 4,300 a sq ft in Lahore and Rs 4,500 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, more than its above-ground grey structure rate.

### Is construction cost going up in Pakistan?

Yes. PBS's urban index of construction inputs was 6.24% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, and construction wages were 9.69% higher.

## Sources

- [Construction cost calculator: 5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal, grey and complete, in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad](https://www.zameen.com/tools/construction-cost-calculator/10-marla-grey-construction-cost-lahore-1/), Zameen.com (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
- [Grey Structure Cost Calculator (2026)](https://avenirdevelopments.com/house-construction-cost/grey-structure-cost/), Avenir Developments (accessed 18 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)
- [Monthly Review on Price Indices, September 2026](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Monthly-Review-September2026.pdf), 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 18 Oct 2026)