One builder's "Rs 3,000 per sq ft" is a bare grey structure. Another's is a finished house with the cheapest tiles in the market. A third leaves the boundary wall, the gate and the mumty out of the covered area entirely, so the rate looks low and the total doesn't. The rate is only useful once you know what it covers. That is what this benchmark is for.
The benchmark — October 2026
Rates below are per square foot of covered area, not plot size. A double-storey house on a 10 marla plot has roughly twice the covered area of a single-storey one, so always multiply the rate by your design's covered area, including the mumty.
| Package | Lahore rate, Rs per sq ft | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Grey structure | 2,800 – 3,500 | Excavation, foundation, DPC, RCC columns, beams and slabs, brickwork, roof, stairs, concealed electrical conduits and plumbing pipes |
| Grey structure, A-grade premium | up to 3,600 | Same shell, higher-grade structural materials and specification |
| Finishing only (added to grey) | 3,900 – 5,300 | Plaster, flooring, woodwork, doors and windows, kitchen, bathrooms, wiring, fixtures and paint |
| Standard turnkey (grey + finishing) | 6,700 – 8,800 | Complete, ready-to-live house with A-grade local finishes and branded fittings |
| Premium / luxury turnkey | 10,000 – 15,000 | Imported porcelain or marble, solid wood, VRF air conditioning, smart-home systems, designer lighting |
| Labour only | 550 – 700 | Contractor's labour only — you buy all materials yourself |
| Basement grey works | 4,000 – 4,600 | Per sq ft of basement; a basement typically adds 15–20% to the grey structure cost |
DHA Lahore runs higher than the city average: grey structure around Rs 4,400 per sq ft, standard turnkey around Rs 7,000, because DHA clients typically finish to a higher level and the approval and supervision regime is stricter.
What the same house costs, three ways
Applied to typical Lahore plot sizes, the benchmark ranges work out roughly as follows — and the spread within each size is itself useful information, because it shows how much scope and finishing tier move the total:
- 5 marla, double storey: grey structure roughly Rs 5–6 million; complete turnkey roughly Rs 10–14 million.
- 10 marla, double storey: grey structure roughly Rs 9–12 million; complete turnkey roughly Rs 17–22 million, and up to Rs 30 million at the high end.
- 1 kanal, double storey, no basement: grey structure roughly Rs 15–20 million; turnkey roughly Rs 30–40 million, with expensive ones going north of Rs 60 million.
The spread is not a mistake in the market. It is the difference between local tiles and imported porcelain, between a standard kitchen and a modular one, between Grade 60 steel with cube-tested concrete and whatever was cheapest that week. When two quotes differ by 30%, the cheaper one is usually a different house.
Why rates moved — the material snapshot
Two materials drive the grey structure number more than anything else:
- Cement: a 50 kg bag in Lahore was around Rs 1,550–1,630 in October 2026 (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics city data for the week ending 8 October 2026 put Lahore at Rs 1,630; retail dealer guides showed Rs 1,380–1,550 for major brands). A Rs 50 move per bag on a 500-bag house is Rs 25,000 — small against the total, but it is the reason "last month's rate" is never quite this month's.
- Steel: Grade 60 rebar, the standard for modern houses, was around Rs 263–277 per kg in October 2026. Grade 40 ran a few rupees behind. Steel grade is also the easiest place to hide a saving: a quote that does not name the grade in writing has not actually quoted you a price.
- Brick and sand: both are heavily dependent on weather, the smog season and transport regulations. Kiln closures during smog season, rain disrupting kiln and river-sand supply, and restrictions on sand extraction and haulage can all move prices and availability within a single build — so a brick or sand rate quoted in one season is not a promise for the next. A quote that fixes these rates without a validity window deserves a second look.
What the rate usually leaves out
Before you compare two quotes, check whether each one includes: the plot (never included), society design-approval charges and security deposits, the architect's fee, the boundary wall and gate, utility connections, and furniture. Most per-square-foot rates exclude all of these. A quote that looks cheaper because it quietly drops the boundary wall is not cheaper.
Five checks before you trust any quote
- Ask for the itemised BOQ, not just a rate. A rate without quantities is a slogan.
- Steel grade and brand in writing. Grade 60, named mill, cube-tested concrete — or the saving is coming out of your structure.
- Brick class in writing. First-class (Awwal) bricks versus B-grade is one of the largest hidden gaps between two grey structure quotes.
- The covered-area definition in writing. Does it include the mumty, the porch, the terrace — and the shades? Shades are a classic grey area: some builders count them in full, some at half measurement, some exclude them altogether. Two builders measuring differently can differ by 10% on the same drawings, so get the definition, including shades, in writing before you compare rates.
- Stage-wise payment tied to verified work. Never pay the next stage for work that has not been checked.
A rate per square foot is a planning range, not a quotation. Your real figure comes after drawings and a bill of quantities exist — and an independent benchmark of that quotation, against the ranges above, is exactly what catches the quote that is too good to be true.