Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Swabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Swabi: $522 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Swabi
Learn more

Swabi Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Swabi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $522 in Swabi.

Mexico City $1,567
Swabi $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $796 in Swabi.

Mexico City $2,450
Swabi $796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,070 in Swabi.

Mexico City $3,333
Swabi $1,070

Living in Mexico City is roughly 200% more expensive than in Swabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Swabi is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$3.57 PKR 988

201.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$23.34 PKR 6,459

115.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$5.33 PKR 1,474

108.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 PKR 1,028

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 PKR 1,908

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.68 PKR 743

37.31%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.36 PKR 98.3

358.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.21 PKR 58.1

519.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.97 PKR 269

82.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.72 PKR 199

323.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.31 PKR 362

53.44%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.21 PKR 335

128.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$6.06 PKR 1,677

96.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.16 PKR 874

195.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$5.29 PKR 1,463

183.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.33 PKR 369

131.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$0.87 PKR 242

124.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.06 PKR 294

91.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$0.52 PKR 144

325.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.29 PKR 81.2

596.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.35 PKR 97.9

420.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.28 PKR 77.0

442.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.39 PKR 109

228.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 497

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 PKR 646

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.37 PKR 656

122.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.18 PKR 49.49

72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$9.78 PKR 2,707

102.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.23 PKR 342

62.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.74 PKR 205

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$1.65 PKR 456

240.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.33 PKR 369

14.29%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

-2.53%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

4.88%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$104 PKR 28.8K

-39.85%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$6.08 PKR 1,682

373.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$17.31 PKR 4,791

99.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$13.38 PKR 3,704

326.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$9.00 PKR 2,491

175.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$4.23 PKR 1,171

57.68%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

478.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$1,031 PKR 285.4K

1038.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$26.58 PKR 7,356

166.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$34.97 PKR 9,679

48.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$97.9 PKR 27.1K

11.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$41.24 PKR 11.4K

172.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$131 PKR 36.2K

703.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$85.5 PKR 23.7K

677.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$240 PKR 66.4K

878.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$127 PKR 35.1K

866.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$949 PKR 262.7K

274.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$514 PKR 142.4K

284.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.08

-13.61%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Swabi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Swabi

$85 16.4% 87.1% $580

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Swabi

$103 19.7% 68.1% $220

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Swabi

$79 15.1% 61.1% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Swabi

$90 17.3% 41.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Swabi

$127 24.4% 1.2% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Swabi

$22 4.2% 69% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Swabi

$15 3% 40.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $131 in Swabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $23.00 in Swabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $103 per month, with Swabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇰 Swabi

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

10:25 10:25 AM

11 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

123,412

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Swabi 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Swabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Swabi differ by about 200% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $522 including rent). Swabi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $784 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $131 in Swabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Swabi runs roughly 103% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $74.5 in Swabi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $522 in Swabi versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Swabi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Swabi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Swabi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.