Gold Price Pakistan vs Bangladesh: Rates Compared

The table below shows both countries' rates per gram in local currency and in US dollars. In dollar terms, the two rates are usually close — both track the spot price, and neither carries a large import duty wedge of the kind India has. The gap between them is mostly the local premium, which varies with demand and with how freely gold can be imported.

In local currency terms the comparison needs conversion: the Pakistani rupee and the Bangladeshi taka have both weakened against the dollar over time, and the local gold rate in each country reflects its own currency's path as much as the gold price itself.

Pakistan's gold market is centred on the sarafa bazaars of Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, with the rate set daily by the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA) from the spot price and the USD/PKR rate. The market is largely traditional and bazaar-based, with making charges negotiated in the souq tradition.

Bangladesh's gold market is more formally regulated: gold imports are controlled and the Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) sets the domestic rate. Bangladesh's gold trade has historically been constrained by import restrictions, which can push the local premium above the international price when supply is tight. The rate you see in Dhaka reflects that regulated supply as well as the spot price.

Both countries quote gold per tola (11.6638 grams) first — the tola is the unit of the South Asian gold trade, and per-gram prices are derived from it. Both also quote per gram and per 10 grams for comparison, and both use 22K as the standard jewellery karat, with 21K and 18K available.

When comparing the two, per gram in US dollars is the cleanest common measure — the table on this page provides it, so you can see the real gap without converting tolas and takas and rupees yourself.

In Pakistan, buy from established sarafa-market jewellers in Lahore, Karachi or Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and ask for the day's APGJSA rate before you buy. The jeweller's reputation is your main protection — buy from shops with a long local history, and negotiate making charges.

In Bangladesh, buy from established jewellers in Dhaka's Baitul Mukarram or New Market areas, or from BAJUS member shops, and check the day's BAJUS rate first. As in Pakistan, making charges are negotiable, and the shop's reputation matters more than any certificate.

Neither market is clearly cheaper than the other in dollar terms — both track the spot price, and the gap between them is usually small and varies with local premiums. The real differences are structural: Pakistan's market is more bazaar-based and freer, Bangladesh's is more formally regulated with import controls that can push premiums up when supply is tight.

For buyers in either country, the saving is not in crossing the border but in comparing making charges at home — and in knowing the day's rate before you walk into a shop.