Guide
5 Marla House Construction Cost: Islamabad, Pindi, Lahore
Guide
How much does house finishing cost per sq ft in Pakistan in 2026? This guide compares A, B and C category rates item by item, covers Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore, explains grey structure vs finishing cost, and gives finishing budgets for 5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal houses.
What does construction labour cost per sq ft in Pakistan in 2026? This guide covers theka rates for Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore, mason and trade daily wages, finishing labour rates, labour cost for 5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal houses, and labour-only vs with-material contracts.
A double-storey 10 marla grey structure costs roughly Rs 92 lakh to Rs 1.19 crore with material in late 2026. See cement, steel and brick quantities, plus labour-only costs for Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
A double-storey 5 marla grey structure costs roughly Rs 53–68 lakh with material in late 2026. See how many cement bags, bricks and kg of steel you need, plus labour-only costs for Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
By Laraib Noor
Real Estate Analyst
13 min read
The construction cost of a standard double-storey 5 marla house in Pakistan is about Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 1.78 crore at November 2026 rates, for a mid-range (B-category) finish. That works out to Rs 7,500 to Rs 8,900 per square foot of covered area. An economy build can come in near Rs 1.12 crore, and a premium house can cost Rs 2 crore or more. These figures cover construction only; land, approvals and furniture are extra.
This guide works through one example house in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore: a double-storey 5 marla house with a ground floor, a first floor and a stair tower (mumty), for 2,000 sq ft of covered area. To run your own numbers, use the Milkiyat construction cost calculator and compare the result with the tables below.
| Construction level | Grey (per sq ft) | Finishing (per sq ft) | Total (per sq ft) | Total for 2,000 sq ft | Per marla |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy (C-category) | Rs 3,300 – 3,600 | Rs 2,300 – 2,800 | Rs 5,600 – 6,400 | Rs 1.12 – 1.28 crore | Rs 22.4 – 25.6 lakh |
| Standard (B-category) | Rs 3,700 – 4,100 | Rs 3,800 – 4,800 | Rs 7,500 – 8,900 | Rs 1.50 – 1.78 crore | Rs 30.0 – 35.6 lakh |
| Premium (A-category) | Rs 4,100 – 4,500 | Rs 5,900 – 7,500 | Rs 10,000 – 12,000 | Rs 2.00 – 2.40 crore | Rs 40.0 – 48.0 lakh |
Per marla = total ÷ 5. Estimates are based on material and labour rates from late October 2026. Your final cost will depend on your city, design, contractor and the brands you choose.
Builders charge for covered area, the floor space of every storey added together, not for the plot size. A 5 marla plot is usually 25 x 45 ft (1,125 sq ft) in Lahore and most private societies. In CDA sectors of Islamabad it is usually 25 x 50 ft (1,250 sq ft). Small plots are allowed high ground coverage, so a double-storey 5 marla house typically has 1,900 to 2,100 sq ft of covered area, and adding a second floor takes it to roughly 2,800 to 3,000 sq ft.
| Configuration | Typical covered area |
|---|---|
| Single storey | 950 – 1,100 sq ft |
| Double storey (ground + first + mumty) | 1,900 – 2,100 sq ft |
| Triple storey (where bylaws allow) | 2,800 – 3,000 sq ft |
Coverage and height rules depend on the authority. In Lahore, check the building regulations in the LDA downloads section or your society's bylaws before your architect starts drawing.
Our assumption: a 950 sq ft ground floor, a 900 sq ft first floor and a 150 sq ft mumty, for 2,000 sq ft in total, with no basement.
Material prices differ a little between cities. Islamabad and Rawalpindi pay more for bricks, sand and labour, while Lahore gets cheaper Chenab sand and cheaper bricks from nearby kilns.
| Material | Islamabad / Rawalpindi | Lahore | Basis and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cement (50 kg bag) | Rs 1,611 | Rs 1,630 | PBS weekly averages, 8 Oct 2026 |
| Steel, Grade 60 | Rs 277,000 per ton | Rs 277,000 per ton | Leading mills' rates, Oct 2026 |
| Bricks (first class) | Rs 27 each | Rs 23.4 each | PBS city averages, Aug 2026 |
| Sand | Rs 110 per cft (Lawrencepur) | Rs 70 per cft (Chenab) | Supplier quotes, Oct 2026 |
| Crush | Rs 130 per cft (Margalla) | Rs 140 per cft (Sargodha) | Supplier quotes, Oct 2026 |
| Grey labour (theka) | Rs 750 per sq ft | Rs 600 per sq ft | Contractor rates, late 2026 |
Rawalpindi tracks Islamabad closely. In late August 2026, PBS recorded cement at Rs 1,535 a bag in Rawalpindi against Rs 1,532 in Islamabad, so this guide uses one rate card for the twin cities.
| City | Grey structure | Finishing (standard) | Total | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islamabad / Rawalpindi | Rs 81.9 lakh | Rs 84.4 lakh | Rs 1.66 crore | Rs 8,314 |
| Lahore | Rs 76.3 lakh | Rs 84.4 lakh | Rs 1.61 crore | Rs 8,033 |
If you are building in Lahore, the Lahore construction cost calculator lets you check these numbers against your own covered area.
The grey structure (dhancha) is the shell of the house: foundation, columns, beams, slabs, brick walls, plaster, and the pipes and conduits inside them. This table shows the construction cost with material, at twin-city rates.
| Item | Quantity (2,000 sq ft) | Rate | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cement (about 0.42 bag per sq ft) | 840 bags | Rs 1,611 | Rs 1,353,240 |
| Steel, Grade 60 (about 3.8 kg per sq ft) | 7.6 tons | Rs 277,000 | Rs 2,105,200 |
| Bricks (about 22 per sq ft) | 44,000 | Rs 27 | Rs 1,188,000 |
| Sand (about 1.8 cft per sq ft) | 3,600 cft | Rs 110 | Rs 396,000 |
| Crush (about 1.25 cft per sq ft) | 2,500 cft | Rs 130 | Rs 325,000 |
| Excavation, backfill, compaction | Allowance | Rs 150,000 | |
| Termite treatment, DPC, roof waterproofing | Allowance | Rs 200,000 | |
| Electrical conduits and boxes | Allowance | Rs 180,000 | |
| Plumbing, sewerage, underground tank | Allowance | Rs 420,000 | |
| Shuttering hire and consumables | Allowance | Rs 220,000 | |
| Site water, power, watchman, curing | Allowance | Rs 150,000 | |
| Labour (theka) | 2,000 sq ft | Rs 750 | Rs 1,500,000 |
| Grey structure total | Rs 8,187,440 (about Rs 81.9 lakh) |
That is about Rs 4,094 per sq ft. In Lahore, the same house comes to about Rs 76.3 lakh (Rs 3,813 per sq ft), mainly because sand, bricks and labour cost less there.
On this house, a Rs 100 rise per cement bag adds about Rs 84,000, Rs 10 more per kg of steel adds Rs 76,000, and Re 1 more per brick adds Rs 44,000.
This assumes a mid-range finish for a three-bedroom house: local porcelain tiles, good local sanitary brands, solid-core wooden doors, aluminium or uPVC windows, three bathrooms plus a powder room, and a kitchen on each floor.
| Finishing item | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Flooring tiles, skirting, stair marble | Rs 1,150,000 |
| Bathrooms: tiles and sanitary fittings | Rs 1,650,000 |
| Kitchens (one on each floor) | Rs 1,100,000 |
| Doors (main and about 9 internal) | Rs 700,000 |
| Windows, glass and mesh | Rs 560,000 |
| Wardrobes and woodwork | Rs 540,000 |
| Wiring, switches, light fittings | Rs 820,000 |
| Tanks, pumps, geysers | Rs 400,000 |
| Paint (inside and outside) | Rs 400,000 |
| Gypsum false ceiling (main rooms) | Rs 200,000 |
| Front elevation | Rs 500,000 |
| Gate, grills, railings | Rs 420,000 |
| Finishing total | Rs 8,440,000 (about Rs 84.4 lakh) |
These figures are planning allowances, not quotes. Finishing costs about Rs 4,220 per sq ft here, which is higher than on bigger houses, because bathrooms and kitchens take up a larger share of a small floor area.
Rs 8,187,440 (grey) + Rs 8,440,000 (finishing) = Rs 16,627,440, or about Rs 1.66 crore in Islamabad or Rawalpindi. In Lahore, the same house totals about Rs 1.61 crore.
Building at 5 marla costs more per sq ft than at larger sizes. Using the same rates, our guide on 10 marla house construction cost works out to about Rs 8,095 per sq ft, and a 1 kanal house to about Rs 7,790.
Single storey, triple storey or basement? A single-storey 5 marla house of about 1,050 sq ft costs roughly Rs 86 to Rs 97 lakh at a standard finish, because the foundation and roof are spread over less floor area. Where bylaws allow, a second floor of about 900 sq ft adds roughly Rs 68 to Rs 80 lakh. A small basement of about 950 sq ft adds Rs 38 to Rs 44 lakh in grey structure, or Rs 62 to Rs 71 lakh once finished.
A standard double-storey 5 marla house of about 2,000 sq ft costs roughly Rs 1.5 to Rs 1.78 crore at late-October 2026 rates. In Lahore it costs a little less, and in Islamabad and Rawalpindi a little more.
It is about Rs 66 to Rs 90 lakh for 2,000 sq ft, depending on quality. Our worked example comes to about Rs 81.9 lakh in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and about Rs 76.3 lakh in Lahore. For a larger house, our guide on 1 kanal house construction cost uses the same rates.
A double-storey 5 marla house usually has 1,900 to 2,100 sq ft of covered area, including the mumty. A single storey has about 950 to 1,100 sq ft.
Roughly 800 to 900 bags of cement and 7 to 8 tons of steel for a double-storey house of about 2,000 sq ft.
It depends on the area. Compare the land price plus about Rs 1.6 to Rs 1.7 crore of construction with ready houses in the same sector. If a flat suits your family better, also look at apartments for sale in Park View City Islamabad.
A standard double-storey 5 marla house in Pakistan needs about Rs 1.5 to Rs 1.78 crore for construction at late-2026 rates. Lahore comes in slightly cheaper than Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Add land, approvals and a 10% contingency, confirm your covered area with your architect, get a BOQ, and recheck cement and steel prices before each major purchase.
Disclaimer: All figures are estimates based on rates from late October 2026 and the stated assumptions. Actual costs vary by city, design, supplier, contractor and site. Get written quotations before you commit any money.