Sugar Price in Pakistan Falls to Rs 143 a Kilo, 22% Cheaper Than Last Year

A kilo of refined sugar cost an average of Rs 142.99 across Pakistan in the week ended 8 October 2026. That is Rs 41 less than a year ago, a fall of 22.44%, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). It also slipped 53 paisa from the week before.

Sukkur has the cheapest sugar, at Rs 132 a kilo. Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad are the dearest, at a flat Rs 150. So the gap between the cheapest and the dearest city is only Rs 18, far smaller than for flour or pulses.

We read the PBS city annex for 8 October and the one for 1 October, and compared all 17 cities. Every price below is a PBS weekly average for that city, not a price fixed by the government.

Sugar is Rs 41 a kilo cheaper than a year ago

The national sugar price fell from Rs 184.37 a kilo in the week ended 9 October 2025 to Rs 142.99 now. A household that buys 5 kilos a month pays about Rs 207 less than it did a year ago, on our arithmetic.

That matters more than it sounds. Sugar carries a weight of 5.11% in the spending basket PBS uses for the poorest households, more than petrol or LPG. Only three items, milk, electricity and flour, weigh more for them.

The fall has been slow and steady rather than sudden. Over the past four weeks the average went from Rs 145.59 on 10 September, to Rs 145.05 on 24 September, Rs 143.52 on 1 October and Rs 142.99 on 8 October.

Sugar prices in all 17 cities PBS checks

Most cities sit between Rs 140 and Rs 150 a kilo. Five cities fell this week, and none went up. The biggest drops were in Quetta and Sukkur, both about Rs 3 a kilo.

The highest single price PBS recorded anywhere was Rs 150 a kilo. The lowest was Rs 132, in Sukkur. In Karachi, prices ranged from Rs 135 to Rs 150 depending on the market.

Prices kept falling after sugar exports were allowed

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet allowed the export of 200,000 tonnes of surplus sugar on 14 September 2026. The Finance Division's press release said the decision came with safeguards to keep the local price stable.

So far, the retail price has not jumped. The week before that decision, PBS put sugar at Rs 145.59 a kilo. Four weeks later it is Rs 2.60 lower. We covered the decision itself in our report on the ECC's sugar export approval.

That is worth watching, not celebrating. Exports take time to ship, and the crushing season for the new sugarcane crop has not started yet. A weekly average can turn quickly once mills and wholesalers change their plans.

PBS does not explain why prices move. It only records them. The federal food ministry's news page had no notice on sugar prices when we checked it on 9 October.

Gur is also cheaper than last year

Gur (jaggery), the unrefined cane sugar many families use in tea and sweets, averaged Rs 228.44 a kilo. That is 8.59% less than a year ago, when it was Rs 249.91. It moved by only 0.19% this week.

Gur is still about Rs 85 a kilo dearer than white sugar. Islamabad has the dearest gur at Rs 267.97, while Rawalpindi markets averaged Rs 255.93.

Across the full financial year 2025-26, sugar averaged Rs 165.93 a kilo, against Rs 151.12 in 2024-25, according to the same PBS annex. So today's price is well below last year's average as well as below last October's.

How to check and report an unfair sugar price

The PBS city average is a fair yardstick. It is not a legal price, but it shows whether a shop is far out of line with the rest of your city.

1. Open the latest PBS weekly SPI release and download the city annex.
2. Find Sugar Refined and read your city's minimum, average and maximum.
3. Check whether your district has notified a retail rate for sugar. Where it has, that rate is the legal ceiling.
4. Keep the receipt, or note the shop name, address and the price you paid.
5. In Punjab, complain on the Qeemat Punjab app or the free line 0800-02345, as set out in reporting overcharging in Punjab.

Short weight is a separate offence. If a 1 kg pack feels light, the steps for reporting a tampered scale or a wrong price tag apply in every province.

Common questions

What is the sugar price in Pakistan today?

The PBS national average was Rs 142.99 a kilo in the week ended 8 October 2026. City averages ranged from Rs 132 in Sukkur to Rs 150 in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.

Is sugar cheaper than last year?

Yes. It is Rs 41.38 a kilo, or 22.44%, cheaper than in the week ended 9 October 2025, when the average was Rs 184.37.

What is the sugar rate in Lahore?

Lahore averaged Rs 146.88 a kilo, with markets charging between Rs 145 and Rs 150. It did not change this week.

What is the sugar rate in Karachi?

Karachi averaged Rs 145.38 a kilo, down Rs 1.56 in a week. Prices across its markets ranged from Rs 135 to Rs 150.

Did sugar exports push the price up?

Not so far. The ECC allowed 200,000 tonnes of exports on 14 September 2026, and the PBS average has fallen every week since, from Rs 145.59 to Rs 142.99.

How we verified this

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

We read these documents on 9 October 2026.

• PBS, SPI for the week ended 8 October 2026
• PBS city annex, 8 October 2026
• Finance Division press releases, ECC meeting of 14 September 2026

Household savings and rupee changes are our own arithmetic on PBS figures.