Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karachi and Swabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $511 in Swabi, rent and utilities included – about $340 less a year. The total is higher in Swabi despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Swabi
Learn more

Swabi Living Index

Jump to prices

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Swabi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karachi 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 Karachi and in Swabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Karachi versus $511 in Swabi.

Karachi $483
Swabi $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $754 in Karachi versus $801 in Swabi.

Karachi $754
Swabi $801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,025 in Karachi versus $1,091 in Swabi.

Karachi $1,025
Swabi $1,091

Living in Karachi costs roughly 5% less than in Swabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karachi 64% lower, Swabi 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 PKR 585

$3.51 PKR 971

-39.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,801

$23.47 PKR 6,497

-41.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

$3.65 PKR 1,010

-39.73%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

$7.02 PKR 1,942

4.99%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PKR 593

$2.69 PKR 745

-20.45%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.36 PKR 98.6

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 PKR 77.7

$0.23 PKR 63.8

21.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$0.93 PKR 258

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.72 PKR 200

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.26 PKR 348

-4.76%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.20 PKR 333

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 PKR 1,650

$6.05 PKR 1,674

-1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 PKR 883

$3.13 PKR 866

1.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PKR 1,793

$5.39 PKR 1,491

20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.28 PKR 354

-3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$0.83 PKR 229

-36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 284

$1.07 PKR 296

-3.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 PKR 142

$0.52 PKR 145

-1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$0.29 PKR 80.4

6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 87.1

$0.36 PKR 99.2

-13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.28 PKR 76.7

46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 120

$0.42 PKR 117

4.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

$1.79 PKR 496

-26.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

$1.25 PKR 346

6.40%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

$2.38 PKR 658

1.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 PKR 508

$2.32 PKR 643

-21.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.16 PKR 43.30

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 PKR 2,716

$9.75 PKR 2,697

0.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 PKR 240

$1.28 PKR 356

-32.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.69 PKR 190

7.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 PKR 617

$1.60 PKR 442

39.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 383

$1.39 PKR 384

-0.72%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

-15.22%

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

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

10.28%

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

$113 PKR 31.4K

$101 PKR 27.8K

12.67%

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

$6.12 PKR 1,694

$6.11 PKR 1,691

0.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.11 PKR 3,628

$17.33 PKR 4,796

-24.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.78 PKR 6,029

$15.07 PKR 4,171

44.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 PKR 5,058

$7.87 PKR 2,177

132.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,179

$4.27 PKR 1,183

-0.23%

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

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

-29.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

$1,021 PKR 282.4K

90.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,852

$26.59 PKR 7,360

-34.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.88 PKR 6,332

$35.19 PKR 9,739

-34.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

$97.0 PKR 26.9K

-29.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

$40.28 PKR 11.1K

3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.5K

$124 PKR 34.4K

-5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

$76.9 PKR 21.3K

-4.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 PKR 99.6K

$251 PKR 69.5K

43.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 PKR 52.1K

$152 PKR 42.0K

24.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

$928 PKR 256.9K

16.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.2K

$474 PKR 131.1K

0.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

13.08

0.99%

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

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Swabi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karachi

$133 27.4%

Swabi

$124 24.3% 6.4% $8.5

Groceries & Markets

Karachi

$102 21.1%

Swabi

$102 20% 0.2% $0.2

Accommodation & Living

Karachi

$73 15.2%

Swabi

$77 15.1% 5.1% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Karachi

$68 14%

Swabi

$90 17.5% 32.7% $22

Eating Out

Karachi

$62 12.8%

Swabi

$79 15.5% 28% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Karachi

$30 6.3%

Swabi

$24 4.6% 22.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Karachi

$15 3.2%

Swabi

$15 3% 2.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $118 in Karachi and $124 in Swabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Karachi vs $23.00 in Swabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karachi

🇵🇰 Swabi

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

Same time as Karachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,910,352

123,412

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karachi Swabi 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Karachi
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

Karachi vs Swabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karachi and Swabi differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($483 vs $511 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $725 in Karachi and $766 in Swabi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $118 in Karachi versus $124 in Swabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $483 per month in Karachi versus $511 in Swabi – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 1% less than in Swabi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Swabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.