2 min read
What a day in Pakistan actually costs
Real numbers instead of "cheap": rooms, food, guides and transport, and why the most expensive item is the flight, not the country.
“Pakistan is cheap” helps nobody plan. Here are numbers, as of summer 2026, from my own trips and from people on the ground. All figures per person.
Lodging
- Simple guesthouse in Karimabad or Skardu: €10–20 per night
- Good mid-range hotel: €25–45
- Hut or camp on a trek: usually included in the package price
- Historic fort hotel (Shigar, Khaplu): €90–150, the outlier at the top
Food
- A full meal in a local restaurant: €2–4
- Breakfast: €1.50–3
- Dinner in a hotel restaurant: €5–9
- A kilo of apricots at the market in Hunza: under €1
You can eat completely and without economising in Gilgit-Baltistan for €8 to €12 a day.
Guides and porters
This is where it gets more serious, and where you should not push:
- Local guide, day walks: €20–35 per day for the group
- Mountain guide for a major trek: €40–70 per day
- Porter: €15–25 per day, plus equipment and food
- Cook on expedition treks: €25–40 per day
A porter carries 20 to 25 kilos across a glacier. Haggling here is saving at the wrong end.
Transport
- Jeep with driver, full day: €50–90 for the vehicle
- Domestic flight Islamabad–Skardu: €60–110
- Bus Islamabad–Gilgit: €15–25
- Karakoram Highway by private car, two days: €150–250
What that adds up to
| Style of trip | € per day |
|---|---|
| Hunza, independent, simple | 30–55 |
| Deosai and Skardu with a jeep | 40–70 |
| Fairy Meadows, guided | 40–75 |
| Rakaposhi Base Camp, guided | 45–80 |
| K2 Base Camp, full expedition logistics | 90–160 |
The real cost
The flight. Frankfurt or Munich to Islamabad runs €450 to €800 depending on season. On a two-week trip that is quickly half the budget.
Something practical follows from that: short trips to Pakistan do not pay off financially. Over ten days the flight dominates. Over three weeks it spreads out and the low daily costs come through. If you have the choice, go less often and stay longer.
The comparison that convinced me
A week of hut touring in the Western Alps, with half board and a mountain guide, easily reaches €1,400 to €1,800. The same money buys three weeks in Pakistan, flight included.
This is not an argument against the Alps. I still go. It is an argument that the distance which puts people off pays for itself, provided you stay long enough.