House Construction Cost Calculator Pakistan (Marla & Kanal)

Grey structure cost per sq ft in Pakistan (2026)

Grey structure costs about PKR 2,760–2,990 per sq ft of covered area in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad on Zameen's October 2026 figures, and a complete house about PKR 4,440–4,790 per sq ft. Builders quoting an A-grade specification charge more: PKR 3,000–4,000 per sq ft for grey structure in Lahore.

On Zameen's figures the three cities are within about 4% of each other: Karachi slightly higher, Islamabad slightly lower. The bigger difference is who builds and to what specification. A builder's complete-house rate for Lahore is around PKR 7,500 per sq ft, roughly 65% above the portal's typical figure, because it includes an A-grade specification and the builder's overheads. The calculator starts from the typical rate; type in your builder's rate if you have a quote.

Zameen.com calculator, prices updated 16 October 2026. Builder rates for comparison: Avenir Developments quotes grey structure at PKR 3,300 per sq ft for a standard specification in Lahore and PKR 3,500 in Islamabad/Rawalpindi (Q4 2026).

5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal house construction cost

A double-storey house in Lahore costs about PKR 95 lakh for 5 marla, PKR 1.54 crore for 10 marla and PKR 2.83 crore for 1 kanal to complete, on Zameen's October 2026 rates. Grey structure alone is about PKR 58 lakh, 97 lakh and 1.88 crore.

Per marla, that works out to roughly PKR 9.7 lakh for grey structure and PKR 15.4 lakh complete for a double-storey 10 marla house (our division of Zameen's totals). Per-marla figures shift with plot size and the number of storeys, so use the calculator rather than multiplying them out.

Source: Zameen.com construction cost calculator, 16 October 2026. In Karachi a complete 10 marla house is about PKR 1.56 crore and in Islamabad about PKR 1.50 crore. A Lahore builder quotes PKR 2.23–2.52 crore for a complete 10 marla house (Avenir, September 2026).

How many sq ft in a marla, and the covered area of a house

In Lahore and most housing societies, including DHA, 1 marla is 225 sq ft, so 5 marla is 1,125 sq ft, 10 marla 2,250 sq ft and 1 kanal (20 marla) 4,500 sq ft. Construction is priced on covered area, the floor area of every storey, not on the plot area.

Bylaws limit how much you can cover. In DHA Lahore the first floor can be the full ground-floor area on a 5 marla plot but no more than 75% of it on 10 marla and 1 kanal, with set-backs from the front, rear and sides (DHA Lahore bylaws). Check your society's current bylaws before you fix the covered area.

225 sq ft per marla applies in Lahore district under the Punjab Private Housing Scheme Rules 2010 and in DHA's bylaws; older revenue (patwari) records use 272.25 sq ft (Zameen plot conversions). Check the measurement on your allotment letter. Covered areas: Avenir and Zameen's calculator assumptions. Karachi plots are usually sold in square yards.

Grey structure vs finishing

Grey structure is the shell: foundations, the RCC frame, brick walls, roof slabs and the conduits and pipes buried in them. Finishing is everything after: plaster and paint, tiles and flooring, doors and windows, kitchen and bathrooms, and electrical and plumbing fittings.

On Zameen's Lahore figures, grey structure is about 62% of the complete cost of a double-storey house. Boundary walls, gates, the driveway, external flooring and parapets are often left out of a grey-structure rate, so ask your thekedar what the rate covers and put it in the agreement.

With material means the contractor supplies materials and labour; without material (labour only) means you buy the materials and pay the thekedar for labour. Choose Labour only in the calculator to price the second.

Material vs labour cost in Pakistan

Materials are most of the cost of building a house in Pakistan. Zameen's calculator puts labour at about 11% of the complete cost; builders quote grey-structure labour at PKR 650–850 per sq ft in Lahore and PKR 800–1,000 in Islamabad.

The calculator's default split follows Zameen. If you are hiring a thekedar on a labour rate, the builder figures from Avenir (Q4 2026) are a better check: about 20–26% of the grey-structure rate in Lahore. Older quotes of PKR 300–360 per sq ft are out of date. There's no reliable current figure for finishing labour alone, so price it from quotes.

Basement construction cost in Pakistan

A basement is priced separately per sq ft of basement area: builders quote about PKR 4,000–4,770 per sq ft for basement grey works, roughly 30% above the above-ground grey-structure rate.

DHA Lahore allows one basement level and requires drawings signed by a registered architect, a structural stability certificate and a soil report less than a year old (Avenir, September 2026). The Quick Estimate lists a basement as excluded for Pakistan because there's no reliable finished-basement rate; price it in the Detailed Estimate or add it under Other costs.

Default rates for Pakistan

The calculator starts from these PKR rates per sq ft, data as of 2026-10. Change any of them in the tool to match a local quote.

• Lahore rates per sq ft of covered area for an 8 marla house; other cities differ.
• Grey structure derived from Zameen's grey-structure cost (62% of complete).
• Labour share is derived from Zameen, which counts much finishing labour under materials. Builders quote grey-structure labour at about 20–26% of the grey rate (Avenir, Q4 2026), so check labour-only estimates against your thekedar's quote (low confidence).
• No reliable source for basic or premium finish rates: enter your own.

Sources: Zameen.com, 8 marla house construction cost in Lahore (2026-10-16); Avenir Developments, Grey structure cost (builder rates) (2026 Q4). A dash means no reliable source: enter your own rate. See the methodology for how defaults are chosen.