Compare Chicken, Egg, Onion and Tomato Prices by City in Pakistan: Quetta Tomatoes Rs 95, Islamabad Rs 201

Short answer: The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) publishes the average price of 51 everyday items in 17 cities every week. For the week ended 8 October 2026, tomatoes were Rs 94.51 a kilo in Quetta and Rs 201.26 in Islamabad, and live chicken was Rs 348 a kilo in Lahore and Rs 413.27 in Quetta.

A price at your local shop is only fair if you know what the city average is. PBS gives that average. This guide shows how to read it, and the numbers for five big cities.

We read PBS's city annex for the Weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended 8 October 2026 on 13 October. The PBS tables are average prices from sampled markets. Your shop can be higher or lower.

Chicken is cheapest in Lahore and dearest in Quetta

PBS prices farm broiler chicken live, per kilo, not as meat. Lahore averaged Rs 348, Islamabad Rs 384.97, Peshawar Rs 390, Karachi Rs 403.22 and Quetta Rs 413.27. The national average was Rs 383.31, up 4.93 per cent in a week and 9.44 per cent in a year.

The gap between Lahore and Quetta is Rs 65.27 a kilo, or 18.8 per cent. PBS does not say why. Live weight is not what you pay for dressed meat, so treat these as a guide to the direction of prices.

Tomatoes cost twice as much in Islamabad as in Quetta

Tomatoes averaged Rs 94.51 a kilo in Quetta, Rs 155.76 in Karachi, Rs 171.97 in Peshawar, Rs 194.86 in Lahore and Rs 201.26 in Islamabad. The national average was Rs 155.21. That is up 2.40 per cent in a week but 37.07 per cent below a year ago.

Onions show the same split. Quetta was Rs 144.68 a kilo and Islamabad Rs 242.59. The national average was Rs 190.31, which is 100.24 per cent above a year ago, when it was Rs 95.04.

Eggs and flour tell a different story

Eggs are close across the five cities, from Rs 251.57 a dozen in Quetta to Rs 276.50 in Peshawar. The national average was Rs 260.80, which is 18.88 per cent below a year ago.

Flour is far apart. A 20 kg bag averaged Rs 2,218.86 in Lahore and Rs 3,364.33 in Islamabad, a gap of Rs 1,145.47. The national average was Rs 2,851.04, up 5.69 per cent in a week. The weekly flour move is covered in our report on the flour price jump of 8 October, and the full SPI week is in the note on weekly inflation.

Read your own city in the PBS annex in five steps

You can find any of the 17 cities yourself. The annex is a PDF with a MIN, AVG and MAX column for each city. Use the AVG column.

1. Open PBS's weekly SPI release page for the latest week.
2. Open the "Annex" PDF linked on that page.
3. Find your city's block. Page 1 holds Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha.
4. Page 2 holds Multan, Bahawalpur, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Peshawar. Page 3 starts with Bannu, Quetta and Khuzdar.
5. Read the AVG figure for your item and compare it with your shop's price.

The PBS front page also shows the headline SPI. The way to read the other national numbers is in how to check inflation, reserves and remittances on official pages. To see how the rise affects your own spending, use the sheet in how to calculate your own inflation rate.

If your shop charges far above the average

A price above the PBS average is not by itself illegal. PBS averages many markets and cannot show the price in your street. If an official rate exists and a shop charges above it, you can complain. In Punjab, see how to report overcharging in Punjab. In Sindh, see how to report overcharging in Karachi and Sindh.

Common questions

Where does PBS get these prices?

PBS collects them from sampled markets in 17 cities and publishes them weekly. The average is not a legal price and shops can charge more or less.

How often is the city price sheet updated?

It is updated every week. The sheet we read is for the week ended 8 October 2026, and the next sheet should follow about a week later.

Why are tomatoes so cheap in Quetta?

PBS shows the Quetta average at Rs 94.51 a kilo but does not give a reason. Local supply is a likely factor, but PBS does not state it.

Is the chicken price for meat or live birds?

It is for live farm broiler chicken per kilo. Dressed meat costs more because of weight lost in cleaning, so do not compare it with a butcher's price.

Which city has the cheapest flour?

Among the five cities here, Lahore at Rs 2,218.86 for a 20 kg bag. Islamabad was highest at Rs 3,364.33 in the week ended 8 October 2026.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 13 October 2026, Pakistan time. We read the PBS weekly SPI release page and its city annex PDF for the week ended 8 October 2026. Gaps and percentage comparisons between cities are our own sums. We did not check shop prices. The next PBS sheet may change every figure here.