Food prices in the Northern Areas in 2026 run from about PKR 200 to 300 for a dhaba breakfast to PKR 2,000 or more for dinner at a hotel restaurant with a view. A full day of local eating, mixing roadside dhabas with one better meal, comes to roughly PKR 1,500 to 2,500 per person. Where you eat matters far more than what you eat, because the same plate of daal or a trout costs two or three times as much at a tourist-facing restaurant as it does at the dhaba next door.
This guide sets out what meals actually cost in Hunza, Skardu, Gilgit and along the way, and how to eat the local food without paying the tourist rate for it.
| Meal, per person (2026) | Dhaba / roadside | Mid-range restaurant | Hotel restaurant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast (chai, paratha, egg) | About PKR 200–300 | About PKR 400–700 | PKR 800 and up |
| Lunch or dinner, local dish | About PKR 300–600 | About PKR 700–1,500 | PKR 1,500–2,500 |
| Trout or a full karahi | Not usually on the menu | About PKR 800–1,500 | PKR 2,000–5,000 |
| Tea | PKR 50–100 | PKR 100–200 | PKR 200–300 |
What a day's food actually costs
Eating three meals a day entirely at local dhabas comes to roughly PKR 900 to 1,300: a breakfast of chai, paratha and egg for 200 to 300, a lunch of daal or a simple curry with rice for 300 to 500, and a similar dinner. Add snacks, extra tea and a soft drink and a frugal day still stays under PKR 1,500.
Most visitors don't eat every meal at a dhaba. Mixing one hotel or mid-range restaurant meal into the day, for the view or because it's the only option near your hotel after dark, pushes the daily total to about PKR 1,500 to 2,500 per person. Eating every meal at hotel restaurants in Hunza or Skardu, where menus lean towards Pakistani, Chinese and continental options for visitors, can run PKR 4,000 to 6,000 a day or more.
Dhaba and roadside meals
Dhabas along the Karakoram Highway and in the bazaars of Karimabad, Gilgit and Skardu are where local drivers, traders and most Pakistani families actually eat. A plate of daal chawal, a simple chicken curry or Balti-style karahi with roti costs a few hundred rupees, and a mamtu (dumpling), sold by the piece in Skardu, costs closer to PKR 15 to 40 each.
These places are cash-only, don't take bookings and often don't have an English menu, but the food is fresh, the portions are generous and the price is honest. If you are travelling on a tight budget, or simply want to eat the way people here actually eat, this is where to go.
Restaurant and hotel prices
Restaurants aimed at visitors, especially those with a river or mountain view in Hunza and Skardu, price closer to PKR 700 to 1,500 for a main course, rising to PKR 2,000 to 5,000 at the better hotel restaurants and for a full karahi or a trout dish shared between two or three people. Skardu trout, farmed locally and a genuine speciality, typically costs PKR 800 to 1,500 depending on where you order it.
Hotel restaurants charge the most, but they are also often the only option once it gets dark in smaller towns, and breakfast is frequently included in the room rate at mid-range hotels and above. Ask when you book, since an included breakfast effectively removes one meal from your daily food budget.
Local specialities worth the extra cost
A few dishes are worth paying restaurant prices for at least once: Hunza's chapshuro, a meat-filled flatbread, chapshuro-style pies at PKR 400 to 700; Balti curry with pilao rice in Skardu; and butter tea with a buckwheat kisir in the higher valleys. Our guide to traditional food of the Northern Areas covers what to try and where each dish comes from.
How to eat well without overspending
- Eat where the locals eat. A dhaba a hundred metres from a tourist restaurant can be half the price for the same daal or karahi.
- Ask about breakfast when booking a room; many mid-range hotels include it.
- Carry snacks and water for long drive days between Besham and Chilas, and towards Khunjerab, where proper food stops are few.
- Share large dishes. A full karahi or a trout platter is usually meant for two or three people, not one.
- Keep small notes handy. Card machines are rare outside bigger hotels, and dhabas deal in cash.
Is it worth splurging occasionally?
Yes, for one or two meals on a longer trip. A dinner with a view over Karimabad or the Indus at Skardu, or a proper trout meal, is a reasonable one-off expense even on a tight budget. Eating every meal that way is what pushes a Northern Areas trip's food line from a few thousand rupees a day into a genuinely expensive one. For the rest of your trip's budget, our guide to Northern Areas trip cost breaks down transport, rooms and fees alongside food.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for food per day in the Northern Areas?
About PKR 900 to 1,300 a day eating only at local dhabas, or PKR 1,500 to 2,500 mixing in one better meal. Eating at hotel restaurants throughout the day can run PKR 4,000 to 6,000 or more.
Is street food safe in the Northern Areas?
Busy dhabas that cook food fresh and to order are generally fine, and it's how most local people eat. Choose places with a steady turnover of customers, and stick to food that is cooked hot in front of you.
Are card payments accepted at restaurants?
Rarely outside the bigger hotels in Hunza, Skardu and Gilgit. Carry enough cash for meals, especially in smaller towns and at dhabas.
Is food cheaper in Gilgit and Skardu than in Hunza?
Broadly similar at the dhaba level, though Hunza's restaurants aimed at visitors, especially in Karimabad, tend to price a little higher for the view.
Does breakfast usually come with the hotel room?
At mid-range hotels and above, often yes; at budget guesthouses, not always. Ask when you book, since it changes how much you need to budget for food.
