Karachi Flour Prices Highest in Pakistan

Karachi residents continue to face the highest flour prices in the country, with a 20-kilogram bag costing up to Rs3,540, according to the latest Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) report, reported by 24NewsHD TV on Friday. The Karachi flour prices put the city at the top of a national list in which the cheapest surveyed city, Sargodha, recorded Rs2,933 for the same 20kg bag, a gap of Rs607.

ProPakistani reported that the report showed a 20kg bag of flour priced at Rs3,400 in Hyderabad, Rs3,333.33 in Islamabad and Rs3,306.66 in Rawalpindi. In Larkana and Peshawar, the price reached Rs3,300, while Bannu, Quetta and Khuzdar recorded rates of up to Rs3,200.

Flour prices across Pakistan

The PBS figures show a clear spread between cities. A 20kg bag was available for Rs3,160 in Sukkur and Rs3,133.33 in Lahore. In Sialkot, the price stood at Rs3,133. Flour prices reached Rs3,000 in Gujranwala and Faisalabad, while a 20kg bag cost Rs2,946.66 in Bahawalpur.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, the price was recorded at Rs2,933.33 in Multan, while Sargodha reported a rate of Rs2,933 per 20kg bag, the lowest among the surveyed cities.

The table covers the highest, the lowest and the largest cities in the PBS list. The full list also includes Larkana and Peshawar at Rs3,300, Bannu, Quetta and Khuzdar at up to Rs3,200, Sukkur at Rs3,160, Sialkot at Rs3,133, Gujranwala and Faisalabad at Rs3,000, Bahawalpur at Rs2,946.66 and Multan at Rs2,933.33.

Why Karachi flour prices top the list

Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city, so the highest price in the country falls on the largest number of buyers. A household buying one 20kg bag a month in Karachi pays up to Rs607 more than the same household in Sargodha for the same quantity, before any transport or retail difference is counted.

The Lahore figure in the PBS list also matches Feature Pakistan’s earlier report that flour prices in Lahore had jumped by Rs833 in a week to Rs3,133 for a 20kg bag. The PBS figure of Rs3,133.33 for Lahore suggests that level has held since that jump, rather than falling back.

The wider price background is also unfavourable. Short-term inflation stayed in double digits at 11.32 per cent year-on-year for the week ending October 29, with wheat flour up 34.87 per cent over the year. That annual rise helps explain why flour, a daily staple, features so prominently in household budgets this winter.

Looking ahead, the government has set the wheat indicative price for 2027 at Rs4,500 per maund, Rs1,000 higher than last year. A higher wheat price does not automatically fix the retail flour price, but it sets the floor for what millers pay for grain, and therefore for what shoppers may pay for flour in the months ahead.

What the PBS report does not say

The PBS report cited by ProPakistani gives prices, not causes. It does not explain why Karachi sits at the top of the list, whether the gap reflects transport costs, wholesale margins, local supply, or a mix of all three. Any single explanation would need separate evidence.

What the figures do establish is the size of the gap. Karachi’s top price of Rs3,540 is about 21 per cent higher than Sargodha’s Rs2,933, and about 13 per cent higher than Lahore’s Rs3,133.33. For buyers in Karachi, that gap is the practical fact, whatever its cause.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 20kg bag of flour cost in Karachi?

Up to Rs3,540, according to the latest PBS report, the highest price among the surveyed cities.

Which city has the cheapest flour in the PBS list?

Sargodha, at Rs2,933 for a 20kg bag. Multan is close behind at Rs2,933.33.

How does Lahore compare with Karachi?

Lahore recorded Rs3,133.33 for a 20kg bag, which is about Rs407 less than Karachi’s top price of Rs3,540.

Why are flour prices high across Pakistan?

The PBS price list itself does not give a cause. The wider background is that wheat flour prices are up 34.87 per cent over the year, within short-term inflation of 11.32 per cent for the week ending October 29.