Islamabad - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Pakistan is an Islamic Republic. Therefore pork (bacon, etc) and alcoholic beverages are forbidden but diplomats are entitled to order their alcohol quotas on a trimester basis. In most of the expat parties there is alcohol, either imported officially or bootlegged from India (something that has to be avoided at all costs: Not only is illegal to buy unlicensed alcohol but it might be dangerous for your health as well, since the contents of a bottle not necessarily match what is mentioned on the label). Generally, there is availability of groceries but the quality and variety fluctuates, it might be possible to buy an imported product, which 2 months later is not available any more. Extra care has to be taken for meat, poultry and fish, in order to minimize the chances of food poisoning. In certain venues you have to option to choose the chicken that you wish to buy alive - which is decapitated and skinned in a matter of a few minutes - at least this way you know that it is fresh, with no unwanted visits of flies or other insects. Pakistani mangoes are probably the best in the world and so is the local rice. When in season, fresh aromatic lychees are available at rather low prices. - Oct 2023
You can get anything you need in Pakistan, anything. Betty Crocker brownie mix, Cap’n Crunch, Huggies diapers, anything. You will just pay a premium and might find a couple of weeks here and there where supplies are low. The Embassy commissary is large and it has a decent variety of stuff (especially cleaning products) but food is often expired (not a big deal with the frozen stuff, but always a bummer to get Cheez-Itz home and find them all stale). A lot of things are also locally-procured and sold at a markup above the local markup, which I think a lot of people don’t know. It’s basically the only way to get alcohol, which is prohibited in official shipments. - Jun 2022
Produce is very cheap, bring a juicer if you like fresh juice! Other groceries are standard or higher depending if its considered a speciality item. Huge commissary also located at the Embassy. Can order just about any food product through DPO. - Feb 2019
Vegetables are cheaper, and processed/packaged items are more expensive. - Jan 2017
You can get most things here, though you will pay more for imported/specialty items, except pork which can be sporadically found at the commissary. Don't be the bacon hog. - Sep 2016
Almost all basic items can be found for good prices. For international brands, the stores at Kohsar market are a sure bet. Some people say electronics are expensive in Pakistan, but that's simply not true - there are plenty of vendors who import everything from large TVs to new iPhones straight from Dubai and somehow pay no taxes. - Sep 2015
We purchase all of our groceries for the week for $50 (including fresh veggies and dry goods) for two people. We make breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home. - Aug 2015
It's worth it to hire a housekeeper who can cook and shop for you. There is a limited commissary at the Embassy, but items are often expired by the time they hit the shelves. On the local economy, lots of nice fruits and vegetables. No decent bread. Cheese is 100 % imported and very expensive, but you can get fresh Australian milk. - Aug 2015
Cheap. Cheaper still if you have your housekeeper do the shopping. - Apr 2014
We had access to the U.S. Commissary so we were not wanting for goods as we could buy pork and alcohol there. Anything and everything else could be purchased locally at Kohsar Market and local grocery stores. There was generally wide availability and good selection of products available. For anything Western we paid a premium for but the costs were still relatively reasonable- not outrageous as in some African and Central Asian countries. - Feb 2014
Most everything is available at a few select stores catering to expats. Cf. Metro (I10) like Costco, Koshar Market (F6/3) where you can find decent meat, Rana Market (F7/2) where you can get sushi-grade fish. Imported goods are 5-20% more than in the U.S. Local goods are 20-80% cheaper than in the U.S., with somewhat comparable quality. One dollar is almost 100 rupees so you just remove 2 zeros and the prices are easy to understand. They would not label their food organic but most of it probably is. - Dec 2013
Most everything is available at a few select stores catering to expats. Imported goods are 5-20% more than in the US. Local or regional groceries and household supplies are 20-85% cheaper than the U.S. with somewhat comparable quality. - Mar 2012
Not bad, but getting more expensive by the day. - Aug 2011
Food: This is a Muslim country, so no pork and all. Meat is Halal. Personally, I really dislike halal meat. I think it is dry and a bit nasty. The best local meat is the frozen chicken breasts from a company called K&N. Everything that is local is cheap, and food-wise most major ingredients are available in some form or another. Specific sauces, spices, and things like ketchup are hard to find in American quality. Cleaning products: the local ones are cheap but terrible. The local laundry detergent is the worst. I shipped all mine from the US or got it from the embassy commissary. - May 2011
Everything is available in Islamabad. Kohsar market caters to expats and has most of the items available at the Embassy commissary for similar (if not cheaper) prices, and the dairy isn't expired. There is also the French Walmart-like store "Metro" on the outskirts of town, and you can get everything really cheap there--from flat-screen TVs to frozen chicken. - Jan 2010
Excellent in Islamabad - everything can be purchased - from foodstuffs to household supplies - including potted plant materials. Some more obscure groceries have to be purchased in the more international supermarkets, but there is a full range. - Oct 2009
Similar to North American prices, somewhat less expensive than European prices (depending on the goods).An astonishing range of specialty/import goods is available, particularly British goods. If you want it, you can probably find it - although you may pay through the nose. - Oct 2008
