Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Swabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Swabi: $521 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Swabi
Learn more

Swabi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Swabi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Swabi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Swabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $521 in Swabi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Swabi $521

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $823 in Swabi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Swabi $823

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,126 in Swabi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Swabi $1,126

Istanbul costs about 191% more than Swabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Swabi is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.69 PKR 1,021

220.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$23.29 PKR 6,436

135.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.38 PKR 1,487

72.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 PKR 1,009

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 PKR 1,948

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.59 PKR 716

66.02%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.34 PKR 94.7

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.21 PKR 57.8

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.99 PKR 274

26.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.76 PKR 211

15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.30 PKR 359

69.23%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.21 PKR 335

100.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.12 PKR 1,691

71.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.13 PKR 865

69.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.45 PKR 1,507

287.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.28 PKR 354

45.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.88 PKR 242

161.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.04 PKR 286

17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.56 PKR 154

221.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.29 PKR 80.7

137.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.38 PKR 105

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.28 PKR 77.1

385.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.42 PKR 117

38.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.78 PKR 493

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 334

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 PKR 673

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.37 PKR 654

-1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.20 PKR 55.7

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.87 PKR 2,728

569.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.23 PKR 339

4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.71 PKR 196

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.66 PKR 460

568.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.37 PKR 379

8.03%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.3K PKR 5.9M

128.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.0K PKR 6.4M

82.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$92.7 ₺4,650

$103 PKR 28.6K

-10.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.20 ₺562

$5.86 PKR 1,620

91.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.97 PKR 4,688

-6.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.65 PKR 4,050

409.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.87 PKR 2,176

191.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.92 PKR 1,361

63.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$948 ₺47.6K

$43.15 PKR 11.9K

2098.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,053 PKR 290.9K

3407.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$26.20 PKR 7,240

105.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$34.47 PKR 9,525

20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.7 PKR 26.2K

6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$40.03 PKR 11.1K

128.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$135 PKR 37.2K

653.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$83.6 PKR 23.1K

647.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$266 PKR 73.5K

653.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$182 PKR 50.3K

518.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$807 PKR 223.0K

270.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$499 PKR 138.0K

246.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

13.08

209.02%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Swabi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Swabi

$84 16% 86.6% $541

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Swabi

$104 20% 59.6% $154

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Swabi

$79 15.2% 64.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Swabi

$88 16.9% 32.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Swabi

$126 24.2% 5.4% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Swabi

$25 4.7% 73% $66

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Swabi

$15 3% 79.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $135 in Swabi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $23 in Swabi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $104 – making Swabi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Swabi

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

123,412

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Swabi 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Swabi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Istanbul vs Swabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 191%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $782 in Swabi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swabi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $43 in Swabi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 147% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Swabi, where all-in costs run around $521, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Swabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Swabi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Swabi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 66% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.