Updated: August 2026
One unit (1 kWh) of electricity in Pakistan costs between Rs 3.95 (lifeline) and Rs 47.20 (top slab) in base tariff as of August 2026. A typical unprotected home effectively pays Rs 43–52 per unit once the fixed charge, the Rs 3.23 financing surcharge and 18% GST are added on top. These base rates were set by SRO 279(I)/2026, notified by the Power Division on NEPRA’s determination and effective 12 February 2026, and they apply to every distribution company.
So “1 unit kitne ka hai” has no single answer: the price of one unit depends on which of three consumer categories you fall into and which slab your monthly consumption lands in. This page gives you the exact per-unit rate for every slab, then shows why the number you actually pay per unit is well above the slab figure printed on your bill.
Key takeaways
- 1 unit = 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) — a 1,000-watt appliance running for one hour, or a 100-watt fan running for 10 hours.
- The base price of 1 unit ranges from Rs 3.95 to Rs 47.20 in August 2026, set by SRO 279(I)/2026 and identical across all DISCOs and K-Electric.
- A protected home pays as little as Rs 10.54 per unit; an unprotected home pays Rs 22.44 to Rs 47.20 per unit for the same electricity.
- Your effective per-unit cost is higher than the slab rate: an unprotected 300-unit home pays about Rs 43.8 per unit after fixed charge, surcharge, duty and GST.
- The old Rs 47.69 top rate many websites still show is superseded; the correct August 2026 top-slab rate is Rs 47.20.
What does “1 unit” of electricity mean in Pakistan?
One unit of electricity in Pakistan means one kilowatt-hour (1 kWh) — the energy an appliance drawing 1,000 watts uses in one hour. Your meter counts units, and your bill multiplies those units by a per-unit rate. The Roman-Urdu “unit” on your bill and the technical “kWh” are the same thing.
That definition makes the per-unit price easy to picture. A 1.5-ton air conditioner drawing roughly 1,500 watts burns about 1.5 units every hour it runs. A 100-watt ceiling fan takes 10 hours to use a single unit. An electric iron rated at 1,000 watts uses one unit for every hour of ironing. When you know what one unit costs, you can price any appliance’s running cost directly.
| Appliance | Power | Time to use 1 unit (1 kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling fan | 100 W | 10 hours |
| Electric iron | 1,000 W | 1 hour |
| 1.5-ton air conditioner | ~1,500 W | ~40 minutes |
| Refrigerator (average draw) | ~150 W | ~6.5 hours |
What is the price of 1 unit of electricity in Pakistan today?
The price of 1 unit of electricity in Pakistan today (August 2026) starts at Rs 3.95 for the smallest lifeline homes and rises to Rs 47.20 for unprotected homes above 700 units a month. The rate you pay for a single unit is fixed by your consumer category and the slab your total monthly units fall into. The table below is the full per-unit price list under SRO 279(I)/2026.
| Consumer type & slab (units/month) | Price of 1 unit (Rs, base tariff) |
|---|---|
| Lifeline — up to 50 units | 3.95 |
| Lifeline — 51 to 100 units | 7.74 |
| Protected — 1 to 100 units | 10.54 |
| Protected — 101 to 200 units | 13.01 |
| Unprotected — 1 to 100 units | 22.44 |
| Unprotected — 101 to 200 units | 28.91 |
| Unprotected — 201 to 300 units | 33.10 |
| Unprotected — 301 to 400 units | 36.46 |
| Unprotected — 401 to 500 units | 38.95 |
| Unprotected — 501 to 600 units | 40.22 |
| Unprotected — 601 to 700 units | 41.85 |
| Unprotected — above 700 units | 47.20 |
Source: uniform domestic tariff under SRO 279(I)/2026, effective 12 February 2026, as published on official DISCO tariff pages (IESCO, FESCO). Rates as of August 2026.
One correction worth flagging, because it is wrong on many rate-checker sites: the top per-unit rate is Rs 47.20, not Rs 47.69. The Rs 47.69, Rs 41.62 and Rs 42.76 figures still circulating online are the pre-SRO-279 rates from 2025 that the February 2026 schedule replaced. If a page quotes them for 2026, it is out of date. For the deeper breakdown of every slab and how it changed, see our pillar guide to the electricity per unit price in Pakistan and our explainer on electricity tariff slabs.
Homes on a Time-of-Use (ToU) meter are billed differently: one unit costs Rs 46.85 in peak hours and Rs 34.53 off-peak, instead of a single slab rate. ToU metering is standard for domestic connections above 300 units and optional on request. If your bill splits units into peak and off-peak, those are the two numbers that apply — our electricity peak hours guide shows when the peak window runs in each season.
Why is my real per-unit cost higher than the slab rate?
Your real per-unit cost is higher than the slab rate because the slab rate is only the energy charge. Every non-lifeline bill stacks a per-kilowatt fixed charge, a Rs 3.23 financing cost surcharge, provincial electricity duty and 18% GST on top of the energy charge, then applies a monthly and quarterly adjustment. Divide that total by your units and you get an effective rate well above the headline slab figure.
Here is the arithmetic for a real unprotected household using 300 units with a 2 kW sanctioned load in August 2026. The assumptions are stated so you can check each line.
| Bill line | Working | Amount (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy charge | 300 × 33.10 | 9,930.00 |
| Fixed charge | 2 kW × 350 | 700.00 |
| Financing cost surcharge | 300 × 3.23 | 969.00 |
| Quarterly adjustment (credit) | 300 × −1.9857 | −595.71 |
| Subtotal | 11,003.29 | |
| GST at 18% | 18% × 11,003.29 | 1,980.59 |
| Electricity duty at ~1.5% | 1.5% × 11,003.29 | 165.05 |
| Total bill | 13,148.93 | |
| Effective price per unit | 13,148.93 ÷ 300 | 43.83 |
Assumptions: no separate monthly fuel adjustment (FPA) this cycle; quarterly adjustment held at the Rs 1.9857 credit that NEPRA set for June–August 2026 bills; GST under FBR rules. The base slab rate is Rs 33.10, but the household pays an effective Rs 43.83 per unit — about Rs 10.7 more per unit than the slab number.
The gap widens as you climb. An unprotected home using 500 units (3 kW load, base rate Rs 38.95) works out to a total of about Rs 25,809, or an effective Rs 51.62 per unit. That home also crosses Rs 25,000, so if it is not on the Active Taxpayer List, a further 7.5% advance income tax under Section 235 pushes the effective rate higher still. The full line-by-line list of what stacks on your unit rate is in our taxes on your electricity bill guide.
Two things can move these numbers in the coming months. NEPRA heard a CPPA-G petition for a roughly Rs 1.20-per-unit fuel cost adjustment (the June fuel charge) that would land on August bills, and a government tariff package was under discussion in late July 2026. A separate NEPRA review of the per-kW fixed charges is also still pending, and the next scheduled tariff rebasing falls on 15 January 2027. Check your own DISCO’s notified rate before relying on any single figure.
How much does 1 unit cost for protected vs unprotected consumers?
For protected consumers, 1 unit of electricity costs Rs 10.54 (first 100 units) or Rs 13.01 (101–200 units) in base tariff; for unprotected consumers the same unit costs Rs 22.44 to Rs 47.20 depending on the slab. Protected status is the single biggest lever on your per-unit price, and it is worth more than any appliance you could switch off.
A protected home qualifies by staying at or below 200 units in every one of the last six billing months on a connection under 5 kW. Because protected billing is telescopic, a protected home using 180 units pays 100 × Rs 10.54 plus 80 × Rs 13.01 = Rs 2,094.80 in energy charges. After the fixed charge, surcharge, adjustment, duty and GST, that home’s effective cost is around Rs 17.4 per unit — less than half the unprotected effective rate.
An unprotected home is any household that crossed 200 units even once in the last six months. The cheapest an unprotected unit ever gets is Rs 22.44, and only if the home stays at or below 100 units for the month. Unprotected bills use “landing-slab” pricing: the whole month is charged at the single slab the total lands in, with no cheaper rate for the earlier units. Use 300 units and every one of them is priced at Rs 33.10, not just the units above 200. That is why the jump from protected to unprotected at the 200-unit line is the harshest cliff on the tariff: a protected 200-unit bill is Rs 2,355 in energy charges, while the same 200 units billed unprotected is Rs 5,782. Our protected vs unprotected consumers guide explains how to qualify, and the 200-unit electricity bill explainer breaks the threshold down unit by unit.
Lifeline consumers sit below both. A lifeline home stays on its flat Rs 3.95 (within 50 units) or Rs 7.74 (within 100 units) rate, and is exempt from the fixed charge, the financing surcharge and the quarterly adjustment, so its effective per-unit cost stays close to the base figure.
Is the price of 1 unit different for K-Electric in Karachi?
No. The base price of 1 unit is the same for K-Electric in Karachi as for every ex-WAPDA DISCO, because Pakistan uses a uniform domestic tariff. K-Electric bills the same SRO 279(I)/2026 slab rates (Rs 3.95 up to Rs 47.20) that LESCO, IESCO, MEPCO and the others apply. The government equalises tariffs across companies through a subsidy, so a 300-unit unprotected home pays the same base per-unit rate in Karachi as in Lahore or Peshawar.
What varies slightly between companies is the monthly fuel price adjustment and the provincial electricity duty, both of which are small relative to the slab rate. Your K-Electric bill also shows the same fixed charge and 18% GST as any other. To price a K-Electric bill exactly, use the K-Electric bill calculator; to compare any company, start from the all-DISCOs hub.
How do I check the exact price for my own units?
To check the exact price for your own units, read your billed units off the latest bill, match them to your consumer type and slab, then layer on the fixed charge and taxes. Here is the four-step method:
- Read your units. Find the “units consumed” figure on your bill, or subtract last month’s meter reading from this month’s.
- Find your consumer type. Lifeline, protected or unprotected decides which rate column applies (see the protected vs unprotected test if you are unsure).
- Find your slab rate. Locate the slab your monthly units land in from the table above and read off the per-unit rate.
- Add the fixed charge and taxes. Add the per-kW fixed charge, the Rs 3.23 surcharge, the quarterly adjustment, electricity duty and 18% GST, then divide by your units for the effective rate.
The fastest route is to skip the arithmetic and enter your units into our free electricity bill calculator, which applies the exact August 2026 rates, protected and unprotected, with the fixed charge and taxes layered on automatically. If the per-unit rate on your bill does not match the slab your units fall in, that is worth a call to your DISCO’s complaint line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of 1 unit of electricity in Pakistan in 2026?
The base price of 1 unit of electricity in Pakistan in 2026 ranges from Rs 3.95 (lifeline) to Rs 47.20 (top slab), set by SRO 279(I)/2026 and effective 12 February 2026. Protected consumers pay Rs 10.54–13.01 per unit, while unprotected consumers pay Rs 22.44–47.20 per unit. The same rates apply to every DISCO and K-Electric.
How many rupees is 1 unit of electricity? (1 unit kitne ka hai)
One unit of electricity is one kilowatt-hour (kWh). Its base price in August 2026 is between Rs 3.95 and Rs 47.20 depending on your consumer type and slab. After the fixed charge, the Rs 3.23 surcharge and 18% GST, a typical unprotected home effectively pays about Rs 43–52 per unit, higher than the slab rate printed on the bill.
Why is my per-unit cost higher than the slab rate on my bill?
Your per-unit cost is higher than the slab rate because the slab rate is only the energy charge. Your bill adds a per-kilowatt fixed charge, a Rs 3.23 financing cost surcharge, roughly 1.5% electricity duty and 18% GST on top. Divide the total by your units and the effective rate rises — a 300-unit unprotected home pays about Rs 43.8 per unit against a Rs 33.10 slab rate.
What is the cheapest per-unit electricity rate in Pakistan?
The cheapest per-unit electricity rate in Pakistan is the lifeline rate of Rs 3.95 per unit, for domestic consumers who stay within 50 units a month over the last year. The next lifeline step, up to 100 units, is Rs 7.74 per unit. Lifeline consumers are also exempt from the fixed charge, financing surcharge and quarterly adjustment.
Is 1 unit the same price for all electricity companies in Pakistan?
Yes. The base price of 1 unit is the same for all ten ex-WAPDA DISCOs and K-Electric, because Pakistan applies a uniform domestic tariff under SRO 279(I)/2026. Only the monthly fuel adjustment and provincial electricity duty differ slightly between companies. A 300-unit unprotected home pays the same base per-unit rate in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
Is the 1 unit price Rs 47.69 or Rs 47.20?
The correct top-slab price of 1 unit in August 2026 is Rs 47.20, not Rs 47.69. The Rs 47.69 figure is the 2025 rate that SRO 279(I)/2026 superseded on 12 February 2026. Many rate-checker websites still show the old number; always confirm against the SRO or your DISCO’s official tariff page.
How much is 1 unit of electricity during peak hours in Pakistan?
On a Time-of-Use (ToU) meter, 1 unit of electricity costs Rs 46.85 in peak hours and Rs 34.53 off-peak in August 2026. ToU billing applies to domestic connections above 300 units and to anyone who requests a ToU meter. The peak window is set seasonally by NEPRA and printed on your bill, so ToU homes read two per-unit rates instead of one slab rate.
Will the price of 1 unit of electricity change in 2026?
The base per-unit rates under SRO 279(I)/2026 hold until the next scheduled tariff rebasing on 15 January 2027. Your monthly bill can still move before then through the fuel charge adjustment (FCA) and the quarterly tariff adjustment. In mid-2026 NEPRA was weighing a roughly Rs 1.20-per-unit June FCA that would land on August 2026 bills.