A plate of daal chawal is cheapest in Karachi

Wheat flour, red meat most expensive in city, rice cheapest.

ISLAMABAD: Wheat flour is  costlier in Karachi than in Islamabad or Lahore but people of the city can be at ease about having the cheapest supply of rice in comparison to the rest of the country. A plate of daal chawal (lentils and rice), with the high prices of both commodities across the country, is cheaper in Lahore and Karachi.

A price comparison of basic food commodities is available from Federal Bureau of Statistics data. Among major cities, the people of Islamabad fare the worst when it comes to prices of daily household items - making the capital the most expensive city.

The difference in Islamabad prices was visible in a comparative analysis with Rawalpindi, where the trend remained in line with other cities of Punjab.

While consumers across the country remained under stress due to a rise in prices throughout the first six months of the year 2010-11, for the consumer in Islamabad, the burden was up an extra notch.

Vegetable and food vendors in Islamabad were charging double the rate in the Sunday and Friday bazaars, while food prices of these have relatively fallen in the rest of the country, including Karachi.

Red meat is the most expensive in Karachi — a blow to meat lovers — with mutton selling at Rs463 per kilogram and beef Rs230 a kilogram.

In Lahore, beef is sold at Rs199.11 but in Islamabad it is priced at Rs220 per kilogram. Purchasing mutton from Rawalpindi would be a better option for those living in either of the twin cities, as it is Rs439.17 in Rawalpindi and Rs444 per kg in Islamabad. The prices of sugar (Rs72 per kilogram), petrol (Rs73 per litre), diesel (78 per litre) and telephone calls (3.59 per unit) are the same throughout the country, according to the data.

While the Consumer Price Index of December 2010 decreased by 0.51 per cent in comparison to November that year, it increased by 15.46 per cent over the corresponding month of the previous year. Overall inflation increased last year but a small decrease was recorded in the first month of 2011.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2011.