Pakistan / South Asia
Islamabad is an indexed city in Pakistan (South Asia), with a metropolitan population of about ~1.0M. This profile brings together deterministic city-intelligence indicators for Islamabad spanning cost of living, climate, safety and quality of life, economy and jobs, education, and healthcare. Islamabad is a south asia city of about ~1.0M in Pakistan. On the composite city-intelligence score, Islamabad sits at an early stage relative to the indexed set (51/100).
Image credit: Image: Tahsin Shah / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Composite profile
51/100
Use the Islamabad profile to compare affordability, livability, and economic indicators against other indexed cities in Pakistan and across South Asia, and to explore nearby nature and weekend destinations.
51/100
Composite directional score across affordability, air quality, clean energy, and resilience.
Directional
Directional indicators pending integration of verified city-level data.
See country hub
Emergency, healthcare, and transport verification status appears on the country hub.
The table is part of the initial server-rendered HTML and mirrors the key city score cards.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 51/100 | Composite score across major city intelligence modules. |
| Cost of Living | 73/100 | Islamabad's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Air Quality | 44/100 | Islamabad's air-quality profile is a directional indicator framed against WHO and regional benchmarks; verified city-level measurements appear in the dedicated air-quality dataset section once integrated. |
| Energy | 61/100 | Islamabad's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Safety | 55/100 | Islamabad's safety profile is a directional indicator; verified country-level emergency profiles attach via the country hub where available. |
| Internet Speed | 56/100 | Islamabad's connectivity profile is a directional indicator combining national digital-readiness context with widely cited speed-test references. |
| Climate Risk | 58/100 | Islamabad's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Resilience | 58/100 | Climate adaptation and infrastructure continuity context. |
Deterministic safety estimates from our index — planning signals derived from country priors and city data, not official crime statistics.
Islamabad scores below average for safety in our index (48/100); research neighborhoods and take standard precautions.
A composite quality-of-life estimate and its component indicators.
Islamabad has a moderate quality-of-life estimate (58/100), with notable strengths in green space.
How the city scores for raising a family, with the indicators that drive it.
Islamabad scores moderate for family living (58/100), helped by parks and green space.
Suitability for remote workers, based on connectivity, mobility, and livability.
Islamabad is moderate for remote workers (60/100), based on connectivity, affordability and walkability and day-to-day amenities.
Suitability for retirement, weighing healthcare, affordability, climate, and environment.
Islamabad is moderate for retirement (59/100), appealing for affordability and a comfortable climate.
Local public safety guidance for Islamabad, with the country-level emergency contacts that apply when calling for police, fire, or ambulance.
For the universal emergency contacts that apply in Islamabad, including police, fire, and ambulance, see the Pakistan emergency profile, which currently lists no verified national contacts.
Methodology and the wider source registry are documented on the scoring methodology and data sources pages.
Healthcare context for Islamabad, with national-level information from Pakistan where city-specific data is not yet verified. This is informational only and does not provide medical advice.
For the national healthcare and public-health context that applies in Islamabad, see the Pakistan healthcare profile, which currently lists no verified national healthcare information.
Related sections: emergency and public safety, scoring methodology, and data sources.
Local mobility context for Islamabad, with national-level context from Pakistan where city-specific data is not yet verified. This is informational only.
For national transport authorities and operators that apply in Islamabad, see the Pakistan transport profile, which currently lists no verified national transport information.
Related sections: emergency and public safety, healthcare and hospitals, cities directory, countries directory, scoring methodology, data sources.
Source-attributed air-quality dataset for Islamabad. Verified measurements are surfaced when published from accepted official datasets; transparent fallback is shown otherwise.
Source-attributed values for Islamabad will appear here after the platform integrates verified measurements from accepted official publishers. Until then, structured air-quality module context remains available on the dedicated module page.
| Metric | Value | Data year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air quality | Verified air-quality measurements are not yet published for this location. | ||
Global City Intelligence — air-quality dataset
Verified data unavailableThe air-quality dataset begins empty by design. Verified city-level measurements appear here only after they are sourced from accepted publishers (WHO, EEA, US EPA, OpenAQ, OECD, or official national/city environmental agencies).
Numeric measurements appear in this section only after they are sourced from accepted official publishers. The dataset is independently validated at build time; malformed records cannot ship to production.
Quick, evidence-based answers about Islamabad drawn from this profile's indexed cost, climate, safety, economy, education, healthcare and nearby-nature data. Figures are deterministic estimates for orientation — verify specifics with official sources.
Yes — good quality of life (58/100), with nearby nature such as Margalla Hills, Margala Hills National Park.
Good (58/100) on safety, schools and green space.
More affordable than average; about 158,000 PKR/month for one person (estimate).
Late spring to early autumn; warmest in Jul, coldest in Jan.
Mainly government, manufacturing, tourism.
A desert climate, averaging about 22.4°C.
Higher education is good (54/100).
Healthcare access is good (50/100).
Retirement suitability is good (61/100).
Within ~170 km: Margalla Hills, Margala Hills National Park.
City pages link to module and ranking pages so crawlers can move through the topic cluster naturally.
Islamabad's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies.
Islamabad's air-quality profile is a directional indicator framed against WHO and regional benchmarks; verified city-level measurements appear in the dedicated air-quality dataset section once integrated.
Islamabad's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context.
Islamabad's safety profile is a directional indicator; verified country-level emergency profiles attach via the country hub where available.
Islamabad's connectivity profile is a directional indicator combining national digital-readiness context with widely cited speed-test references.
Islamabad's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity.
Compare this city against other indexed cities in crawlable ranking tables.
Cost of living estimates for Islamabad — monthly budgets, rent, food, and transport in the local currency, plus an affordability score for comparison. Planning estimates derived from country baselines, not live prices.
Climate profile for Islamabad — Desert climate, annual average 22.4°C, comfort score 69/100. Month-by-month temperatures, rainfall, sunshine, and the best months to visit. Deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast.
Economy and jobs profile for Islamabad — mixed economy, economy score 50/100, key industries including government, manufacturing, tourism. Employment, salary, startup, remote-work, and career indicators. Deterministic planning estimates.
Education profile for Islamabad — mixed education base, education score 55/100, 4 representative universities, plus research, student life, and international-student indicators. Deterministic dataset, not institutional rankings.
Healthcare and retirement profile for Islamabad — developing healthcare market, healthcare score 50/100, retirement score 61/100. Medical access, specialist and emergency care, affordability, and retirement suitability. Deterministic planning estimates.
Source-attributed visual context for Islamabad using verified Wikimedia imagery from the existing media catalog, alongside structured city intelligence and planning links. Not a tourism guide or attractions ranking.
Weekend trip planning checklist for Islamabad — links into arrival planning, Summer 2026 travel context, visual orientation, budget tools, transport, public safety, and healthcare context. Not an itinerary, events calendar, hotel-price guide, restaurant guide, or tourism ranking.
Source-backed nearby place records for local-first weekend planning, with verification status, official source links, Wikidata identity, and visual context.
Estimate a monthly budget for Islamabad using your own housing, food, transport, healthcare, and lifestyle inputs. Planning estimator only — not an official cost-of-living measurement.
Plan a trip budget for Islamabad using your own accommodation, food, local transport, activities, travel, healthcare buffer, and emergency buffer inputs. Planning estimator only — not an official travel cost estimate.
Where else nearby you could spend a day or a weekend from Islamabad. Links are derived from geographic proximity, shared region, shared natural-recreation areas, transport corridors, and country borders — not popularity or tourism rankings.
Nearby city · about 11 km from Islamabad. Explore Rawalpindi's city intelligence profile.
Nearby city · about 53 km from Islamabad. Explore Abbottabad's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 107 km from Islamabad. Explore Mardan's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 107 km from Islamabad. Explore Jhelum's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 140 km from Islamabad. Explore Peshawar's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 158 km from Islamabad. Explore Gujrat's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 183 km from Islamabad. Explore Sargodha's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 193 km from Islamabad. Explore Sialkot's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 203 km from Islamabad. Explore Gujranwala's city intelligence profile.
Same region · about 239 km from Islamabad. Explore Sheikhupura's city intelligence profile.
Regional discovery collections that include Islamabad — named natural regions grouping nearby nature, parks, lakes, coasts, and mountains for local-first day and weekend planning.
Weekend escapes · 28 places across 20 cities.
Theme-first discovery collections that include Islamabad — grouped by outdoor interest (mountains, lakes, coasts, forests, national parks) rather than geography.
Weekend Nature Retreats · 40 places across 20 cities.
Common questions about living in, visiting, working in, studying in and retiring to Islamabad, answered from the indexed cost-of-living, climate, safety, economy, education, healthcare and nearby-nature data on this profile.
Islamabad has a moderate quality-of-life estimate (58/100), with notable strengths in green space. Visitors can also reach nature such as Margalla Hills, Margala Hills National Park and Khanpur Lake within weekend range.
Islamabad has a moderate quality-of-life estimate (58/100), with notable strengths in green space. It indexes 58/100 for overall quality of life.
A single resident of Islamabad spends roughly 158,000 PKR per month, with a one-bedroom rent near 83,700 PKR. Overall the city is more affordable than average for Pakistan. These are modelled estimates, not live quotes — verify locally.
Plan for below-average living costs and check current rents before relocating. Islamabad is moderate for remote workers (60/100), based on connectivity, affordability and walkability and day-to-day amenities.
Islamabad's labour market is developing, with opportunities concentrated in tourism and hospitality, manufacturing and finance and professional services. Islamabad has a mixed economy with strengths in government, manufacturing and tourism.
Islamabad offers limited infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 50/100.
Islamabad is a developing education base with a mix of universities and research activity in our dataset, spanning fields such as Social Sciences, Mathematics and Medicine.
Islamabad offers a moderate student environment, supported by walkable neighborhoods and relatively affordable living.
Islamabad has a developing healthcare market, supported by hospitals, specialist services, and public-health infrastructure, with a healthcare score of 50/100. Residents have developing access to healthcare across primary, specialist, and emergency care.
Islamabad offers a combination of healthcare access, safety, and amenities that may appeal to retirees, with a retirement score of 61/100. Residents benefit from parks and green space and walkable streets and day-to-day services.
Islamabad has a desert climate, averaging about 22.4°C annually with roughly 300 mm of rain. The hottest month is Jul and the coldest Jan. The driest is typically Jul.
Islamabad scores below average for safety in our index (48/100); research neighborhoods and take standard precautions.
Islamabad indexes a walkability score of 72 and a cycling score of 49 out of 100. Check the local operator for live transit routes and fares.
Nature destinations within about 170 km of Islamabad include Margalla Hills, Margala Hills National Park and Khanpur Lake. Each is linked with its official source on the profile.
Islamabad scores moderate for family living (58/100), helped by parks and green space.
Islamabad rates 53/100 for outdoor lifestyle and 87/100 for green space. Nearby nature such as Margalla Hills, Margala Hills National Park and Khanpur Lake supports day hikes, water activities and weekend trips.
Use the Islamabad profile to compare affordability, livability, and economic indicators against other indexed cities in Pakistan and across South Asia, and to explore nearby nature and weekend destinations. Its standout dimensions are cost of living (73/100) and energy (61/100). The area most worth watching is air quality (44/100), where the model registers practical gaps. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 4 institutional references.
Country context is available on the Pakistan country page. Related rankings include Overall Intelligence, Quality of Life, Remote Work. See where Islamabad appears in global rankings or read the scoring methodology.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
4 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
Used as an energy-resource and weather-normalization reference.
Used to normalize air-quality indicators toward health-protective benchmarks.
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.