---
title: "Living in Faisalabad as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/faisalabad
description: "Pakistan's textile capital, built around a clock tower and eight bazaars"
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Faisalabad, Pakistan

Faisalabad scores 27.5/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 1497 of 1501 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 3.3 Mbps.

Faisalabad is Pakistan's third-largest city and its textile capital, with a colonial centre where eight bazaars radiate from a clock tower. Costs are very low and Lahore is about two hours away by motorway, but there is little for visitors, winter smog is heavy, few foreigners live there, visas take effort and several governments advise reconsidering travel to Pakistan.

Known for: Clock Tower and eight bazaars, Textile mills, University of Agriculture, Punjabi food.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 27.5 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 33 |
| Healthcare | 52 |
| Internet | 27 |
| Visa ease | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 9 |
| Climate | 33 |
| Air quality | 0 |
| Quality of life | 24 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | — | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 4.33 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 31.4 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 56 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 68.2 | country | 2023 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 3.3 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 3.1 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Coming soon (Pending regulatory approval) | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | eTA required (online, before travel) / eTA required (online, before travel) / eTA required (online, before travel) | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (LYP/LHE) | 26 | city | 2026-11 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 73 | city | 2026-11 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 4 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 68.5 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.544 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | low | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Tax on income from abroad

**Worldwide tax after 183 days; work done in Pakistan is taxed up to 35%, PSEB IT freelancers pay 0.25%.** Residents (183 days or more in the July–June tax year) are taxed on worldwide income. Pay for work you do in Pakistan is Pakistani income even from a foreign employer: salaries pay 0%–35%, other income up to 45% plus a 10% surcharge above Rs 10 million. IT freelancers registered with PSEB can pay a final 0.25% on export receipts banked in Pakistan. Foreign dividends pay 15%. No wealth or inheritance tax.

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| How residents are taxed | worldwide income |
| Remote work for foreign clients or employers | taxed (Salary 0%–35% progressive; freelance income 0%–45% plus 10% surcharge above Rs 10 million, or a final 0.25%–1% on export receipts) |
| Investments and pensions from abroad | taxed (15% on foreign dividends; slab rates up to 45% plus 10% surcharge on foreign interest, rent and gains; former-employer pensions 0% up to Rs 10 million, then 5%) |
| Wealth | no wealth tax; no inheritance tax |
| Tax resident after | 183 days a year |
| Top income tax rate | 35% |

Residency: The tax year runs from 1 July to 30 June and is named after the year it ends in, so tax year 2027 is 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, section 74). You are resident for a tax year if you are present in Pakistan for 183 days or more in total during it (section 82(a)). The older test of 120 days in the year plus 365 days in the four previous years was removed by the Finance Act, 2021, and there is no home or centre-of-interests test. Two extra rules catch Pakistanis: a citizen is also resident if not present in any other country for more than 182 days in the tax year or not tax resident anywhere else (section 82(d)), and federal and provincial government staff posted abroad stay resident (section 82(c)). A visitor below 183 days is non-resident and taxed only on Pakistan-source income (section 11(6)), which still includes pay for work done while in Pakistan.

Remote work: Salary is Pakistan-source to the extent it comes from employment exercised in Pakistan, wherever it is paid (section 101(1)), and a resident's business income is Pakistan-source to the extent it comes from a business carried on in Pakistan (section 101(2)). So a remote salary or freelance fees for days you work from Pakistan are taxable whether or not you are resident. If salary is more than 75% of your taxable income, the salaried scale applies for tax year 2027 (Finance Act, 2026): nothing up to Rs 600,000, then 1%, 11%, 20%, 25%, 29% and 32%, and 35% above Rs 7 million, with no surcharge on salaried individuals (section 4AB). Other individuals pay nothing up to Rs 600,000, then 15%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 45% above Rs 5.6 million, plus a 10% surcharge on the tax when taxable income exceeds Rs 10 million. A foreign employer withholds nothing, so you file a return by 30 September after the tax year ends (section 118). Freelancers who export services and receive the money through a Pakistani bank can instead have a final tax deducted from the proceeds: 0.25% for PSEB-registered IT and IT-enabled services, 1% otherwise (section 154A; see regimes). Foreign-source salary for work done abroad is exempt for a resident if foreign tax was withheld on it (section 102), and a treaty may change the result, so check yours. This profile did not verify how Pakistan's social security schemes treat pay from a foreign employer.

Investments: A resident's income includes foreign-source amounts under every head (section 11(5)). Dividends from any company, foreign ones included, are taxed separately at 15% of the gross amount (section 5 and Division III of the First Schedule). Interest from abroad is income from other sources (section 39(1)(c)), and rent from a property abroad is income from property with a one-fifth repairs allowance (sections 15 and 15A); both are added to your other income and taxed at the slab rates. Gains on foreign shares and foreign property fall under the general capital gains rule (section 37) and are taxed at the slab rates, because the flat rates apply only to Pakistani securities (section 37A) and property situated in Pakistan (section 37(1A)). Those flat rates are 15% for people on the Active Taxpayers' List on securities and property bought from 1 July 2024. A pension from a former employer is taxed at 0% up to Rs 10 million a year and 5% above, and not at all from age 70 (section 12(2A)). Pakistani bank interest pays 20% (Division IIIA). Foreign tax is credited up to the Pakistani tax on that income (section 103). Returning citizens and some short-stay employees get time-limited exemptions for foreign income (see regimes). How crypto-asset gains are treated is not spelled out here.

On the nomad visa: Pakistan has no digital nomad or remote-work visa. Foreign visitors normally apply online for a visit visa through the Ministry of Interior's portal (visa.nadra.gov.pk), which this profile could not load to confirm stay lengths or conditions. Days are counted per July–June tax year: below 183 days you are non-resident and foreign investment income is not taxed, but pay for work you physically do in Pakistan is Pakistan-source income and taxable from the first day.

Schemes for newcomers:

- **Final tax on IT and IT-enabled services exports (PSEB-registered)** (no fixed end): 0.25% of the export proceeds, deducted by the bank, as the final tax on that income instead of slab rates up to 45%, provided the return is filed (sections 154A and Division IVA of Part III of the First Schedule). The Finance Act, 2026 extended the 0.25% rate to tax year 2029. No foreign tax credit is allowed, and you can opt out each year when filing. Who qualifies: Exporters of computer software, IT services or IT-enabled services (software development, web design, graphic design, data entry, call centres and similar) who are registered with and certified by the Pakistan Software Export Board, when the foreign proceeds are received through a Pakistani bank. This profile could not confirm from an official page whether foreign nationals can register with PSEB.
- **Final tax on other exports of services** (no fixed end): 1% of the proceeds as a final tax on that income, provided the return and any required withholding and sales tax returns are filed; no foreign tax credit. You can opt out each year when filing. Who qualifies: Residents who render services outside Pakistan or export them from Pakistan, including IT exporters not registered with PSEB, when the foreign proceeds are received through a Pakistani bank (section 154A(1)(b)).
- **Returning expatriates (section 51)** (2 years): All foreign-source income is exempt in the tax year you become resident and the following tax year. Pay for work done in Pakistan is Pakistan-source and stays taxable. Who qualifies: Pakistani citizens who were not resident in any of the four tax years before the year they become resident.
- **Short-term resident employees (section 50)** (3 years): Foreign-source income is exempt, except income from a business established in Pakistan and foreign income brought into or received in Pakistan. Who qualifies: Individuals who are resident solely by reason of their employment and are present in Pakistan for no more than three years in total. The Ordinance does not define further who counts.

Official sources: [Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 (amended up to 30 June 2026)](https://download1.fbr.gov.pk/Docs/2026724177725705IncomeTaxOrdinanace2001.pdf) (Federal Board of Revenue, read 2026-10-27); [Finance Act, 2026 (Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, 26 June 2026)](https://download1.fbr.gov.pk/Docs/20266291261044366FinanceAct2026.pdf) (Federal Board of Revenue, read 2026-10-27); [Salient Features, Budget 2026-27](https://fbr.gov.pk/Budget2026-27/SalientFeatures/Salient-Feature.pdf) (Federal Board of Revenue, read 2026-10-27).

Not yet reviewed by a person. General information, not tax advice. US citizens are taxed by the US wherever they live.

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 12.6 | 12 | 42 | no |
| Feb | 15.9 | 22 | 43 | yes |
| Mar | 22.2 | 33 | 39 | yes |
| Apr | 28.7 | 26 | 32 | no |
| May | 34.8 | 17 | 23 | no |
| Jun | 37.4 | 53 | 28 | no |
| Jul | 35.9 | 115 | 45 | no |
| Aug | 34.3 | 72 | 49 | no |
| Sep | 31.7 | 50 | 45 | no |
| Oct | 26.9 | 7 | 33 | yes |
| Nov | 20.1 | 12 | 33 | yes |
| Dec | 14.7 | 9 | 36 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Faisalabad International Airport | LYP | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Allama Iqbal International Airport | LHE | 25 | 21 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 26, of which 22 international (Wikipedia, 2026-11).

## Similar cities

- [Sargodha](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/sargodha) (27.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/faisalabad-vs-sargodha)
- [Multan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/multan) (28) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/faisalabad-vs-multan)
- [Lahore](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lahore) (29.2) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/faisalabad-vs-lahore)
- [Islamabad](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/islamabad) (30.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/faisalabad-vs-islamabad)
- [Karachi](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/karachi) (32.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/faisalabad-vs-karachi)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Faisalabad as a digital nomad?

We do not have a reliable monthly cost figure for Faisalabad yet.

### Is Faisalabad safe for digital nomads?

Faisalabad scores 33/100 on safety. Pakistan records 4.33 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 31.4/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Pakistan have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Pakistan as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US need an electronic travel authorisation (eTA), bought online before the trip.

### How fast is the internet in Faisalabad?

Measured median download speed in Faisalabad was 3.3 Mbps (upload 3.1 Mbps) across 8,646 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Faisalabad?

Not yet. Starlink's availability map lists Pakistan as coming soon (Pending regulatory approval) as of 2026-10. Roaming plans may work for short stays, but local rules on using them vary.

### Which airports serve Faisalabad and how many nonstop flights are there?

Faisalabad is served by Faisalabad International Airport (LYP) with 4 nonstop destinations and Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE) with 25 nonstop destinations, 26 unique destinations across all of them, of which 22 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-11.

### When is the best time of year to be in Faisalabad?

The most comfortable months are Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov. Mean temperatures range from 55°F (13°C) in Jan to 99°F (37°C) in Jun (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Faisalabad or Sargodha: which is better for digital nomads?

Sargodha is the city with the closest factor profile to Faisalabad in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Plan a trip to Faisalabad](https://dashboard.navoy.io/trip/new?utm_source=nostos&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=plan_trip&utm_content=faisalabad&destination=Faisalabad%2C+Pakistan) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

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