US Dollar to Pakistani Rupee

One US Dollar costs 277.95 Pakistani rupees to buy on the open market, and selling one gets you 277.60 rupees. This is the national open market rate, maintained by our editorial team and updated through the day — an individual counter may quote either side of it.

The interbank rate is a wholesale price for trades between banks in size. A counter has to cover the cost of holding physical notes, the risk that the rate moves while it holds them, and its own margin. That gap is normal; what varies is how wide it is, which is why comparing branches is worth doing.

We do not have enough recorded open market readings for USD yet to answer that honestly. The chart above shows what has been recorded so far, and it fills as the board is updated. A rising figure means the rupee is weakening against the US Dollar, not the other way round.

We have no recorded series for USD yet, so we cannot quote a high from our own data, and we will not repeat one we have not measured. For context, the dollar reached its weakest-rupee level so far in September 2023, at roughly 307 rupees interbank, after the move to a market-determined rate in 2019.

The buying rate — 277.60 rupees per US Dollar today. It is called the buying rate because it is the rate the exchange company buys at; you are the one selling. The other figure, 277.95, is what you would pay to buy USD from them.

Because the gap between them is what the exchange earns. A counter holds physical notes, carries the risk that the rate moves while it holds them, and pays for staff, security and the cash itself — the spread covers that. Today's gap on USD is 0.35 rupees per unit, which is 0.13% of the selling rate. A wide spread costs you twice if you buy and then sell back, so it is worth comparing.

Yes, for dollars. In Pakistan’s open market the 100-dollar note usually fetches a better rate than 1, 5, 10 or 20 dollar notes, because large notes are cheaper for a dealer to count, store and ship. The gap is typically a rupee or two per dollar, and it is wider for worn or older-series notes, which are discounted again or refused outright.

Up to 5,000 USD a day for travel, and up to 10,000 USD a day if you are depositing it into a foreign currency account. Those are the State Bank's limits for cash at an exchange company, written in dollars (5,000 and 10,000 USD) and converted here at today's board rate, so the figures move with the rate. Your original CNIC is required, biometric verification applies from 500 dollars upwards, and a travel purchase needs a passport, the visa where applicable and a confirmed ticket, with supporting documents from 1,000 dollars upwards.

It depends on the currency, and it is worth checking both. Today USD sells on the open market above the interbank reference by 0.45%. As a rule the dollar trades on the open market above interbank, because cash dollars are in demand; most other currencies trade close to, or a little below, their own interbank rate. A bank will also apply its own margin and may not hold the currency in cash at all, which is why travellers usually end up at an exchange company.

At any exchange company licensed by the State Bank of Pakistan. We list 129 cities with verified branches, and every company shown is checked against the SBP register before it appears.

Yes. Your original CNIC, NICOP or POC is always required, and biometric verification applies to Pakistani nationals from USD 500 upwards. A travel purchase also needs a passport, the visa where applicable, and a confirmed ticket, with supporting documents required from USD 1,000 upwards.