Metal is metal: the Dubai Gold Souk and the Karachi Sarafa Bazaar both price from the same international spot rate, so the per-gram difference between them is small. What actually decides the answer is making charges, the 5% UAE VAT on jewellery, the purity you are buying, and how you plan to move the gold afterwards.
| Market | Purity | Souk per gram | Souk per tola (PKR) | Pakistan per tola | Difference |
|---|
Souk figures are metal-only quotes converted at Rs 76.39 per AED. They exclude making charges and the 5% VAT applied to jewellery locally. Adding VAT alone takes a 22K tola to about Rs —. Pakistani prices carry making charges too, typically quoted separately by the jeweller.
Making charges. Dubai's souk is intensely competitive and making charges on machine-made chains, bangles and plain sets are routinely lower than Pakistani retail workshop rates, and they are quoted openly per gram so you can negotiate them.
Transparency. Every shop weighs on a certified scale and the DGCX-linked rate board is displayed publicly, which makes underweighting and purity disputes rare compared with an unfamiliar small-town shop in Pakistan.
Investment bullion. Gold bars of 99% purity and above are zero-rated for VAT in the UAE, so for pure investment gold Dubai is genuinely competitive with Pakistan and considerably more liquid.
No VAT on the purchase. Pakistan applies no equivalent consumption tax at the sarafa counter for a retail jewellery purchase, while UAE jewellery carries 5% VAT that a resident cannot reclaim.
Heavy bridal work. South Asian bridal sets — kundan, jadau, heavy hand-set 22K work — are made in Pakistan by the craftsmen who specialise in them. Dubai's equivalent pieces are usually imported and marked up.
22K availability. Pakistani jewellery is 22K, hallmarked 916, and that is what family and future buyers will expect. Dubai's inventory skews towards 21K and 18K, which resells at a discount inside Pakistan.
Comparing a Dubai per-gram metal quote against a Pakistani per-tola shop price that already includes making charges is not a comparison. Put both on the same footing: same karat, per gram, metal quoted separately from making charges, then add VAT to the Dubai side.
Do that honestly and the two usually land within a few percent of each other. The remaining difference is workmanship and taxes, which is exactly why the answer depends on what you are buying rather than where you are buying.
Personal jewellery in reasonable non-commercial quantities is allowed into Pakistan under FBR baggage rules; bullion is treated as an import. Keep the tax invoice showing karat, weight, making charge and VAT.
Dubai to Karachi and Lahore is one of the most closely watched routes for gold. Declare anything that could look like trade stock rather than personal jewellery.
For reference, 24K gold in Pakistan today is Rs 459,400 per tola (AED 6,014) and Rs 39,387 per gram.
On 9 August 2026, 24K gold in Pakistan is Rs 459,400 per tola, which is Rs 39,387 per gram. Metal pricing is close on both sides; the decision is usually made by VAT, making charges and purity, not by the metal.
No. Purity is a standard, not a location. Dubai enforces hallmarking rigorously, and Pakistan's PSQCA hallmarking is reliable at established sarafa dealers. Dubai stocks more 21K; Pakistan stocks more 22K.
Yes, 5% on jewellery. Investment bullion of 99% purity and above is zero-rated. Tourists may reclaim VAT on departure; residents cannot.
Usually yes for plain and machine-made pieces, and they are negotiable. For heavy South Asian bridal work Pakistan is normally cheaper and better executed.
Personal jewellery in reasonable quantities, yes, under Pakistan's baggage rules, with the invoice. Bars and bulk quantities are treated as an import.
