South Asia’s fifth most populous country, Pakistan, officially called as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is known to have the world’s second largest Muslim population while also covering a large number of people having different set of beliefs. Having several ancient cultures and people speaking different languages, belonging from various religions and ethnics, this place is home to many and is famously known for its acceptance, love and different cultures.
Pakistan covers 8 most populated cities where each city has its own uniqueness and culture. While some of them have the busiest life, the rest are comparatively slow, calm and peaceful. A great example of this would be Lahore and Islamabad. Both cities have different lifestyles and move differently.
Lahore, the city controlled by a large number of empires throughout the course is known for having different literary places and attractions that include Walled City, Wazir Khan Mosque, Sufi and Sikh Shrines, Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque too.
On the other side, Islamabad is known for its beautiful, calm nature having several forests and parks. Margalla Hills, Shakarparian are one of the most famous ones. This place is home to various landmarks covering the most famous Faisal Mosque which is known to be the largest mosque in South Asia. Picking one city out of the two can be hard but we have briefly summarized a few points to give you a better idea of which city would be the most suitable for you.
- Weather Conditions
Summers in Lahore are usually short, humid but clear. This is a place where summers last for almost 3 months and the temperature can vary from 46 degrees Fahrenheit to 103 degrees whereas winters last for 2.5 months. While winters are short, dry, cool and usually clear. The temperature during winters is mostly below 41 degrees Fahrenheit or above 110 degrees. On the other side, summers in Islamabad are usually sweltering, clear and humid where the temperature varies from 38 degrees Fahrenheit to a 100 degrees. Winters are cold, cloudy and short and temperature is usually below 33 degrees Fahrenheit or above 107 degrees.
- Educational Institutes
Both Lahore and Islamabad are equipped with Pakistan’s most famous educational institutes related to different fields. If Islamabad has institutes like NUST, COMSATS and Bahria University and Lahore has institutes like LUMS, LSE, NCA, UET and Punjab University. However, the literacy rate of both the cities are different. Where Lahore has a literacy rate of 64%, people in Islamabad are more educated and the city has a literacy rate of 87%.
- Traffic and Population
Lahore’s fast paced life and growing businesses is the reason why population in the city keeps growing. People migrate from various cities as well as rural areas, buy or rent luxury apartments in Lahore to reside and expand their businesses and apply for jobs in different organizations. This becomes the reason of increased traffic and population in the city. Multiple new flyovers and signal free corridors are being constructed to improve the infrastructure of the city as well as to avoid traffic related problems. Islamabad on the other hand, is less populated and has a slow calm life. So if you’re planning to move into a different city Lahore can always be a wise and more secure choice in terms of futuristic goals.
- Cleanliness and Pollution
Unfortunately, both the cities have alarming pollution rates where they exceed the limits of World Health Organization but due to excessive trees and greenery, Islamabad still has less pollution as compared to that of Lahore and being the capital of the country, cleanliness is thoroughly maintained.
Cost of Living Comparison between Lahore and Islamabad
To summarize it up, the Consumer Prices in Lahore are 2.15% lower as compared to that of Islamabad when rent is not included. While, Consumer Prices including rent in Lahore are still 6.81% lower than in Islamabad.
Similarly, when talking about Rent Prices, keep in mind that they are 25.81% lower when compared to Islamabad. Restaurant Prices in Lahore however are 0.52% higher than that of Islamabad and Grocery Prices in Lahore are 0.93% lower as compared to the capital.
