Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swabi and Istanbul

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Swabi
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Swabi Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Swabi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$521

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Swabi and in Istanbul

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

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

Swabi $521
Istanbul $1,519

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

Swabi $823
Istanbul $2,365

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

Swabi $1,126
Istanbul $3,212

Swabi is about 66% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 PKR 1,021

$11.81 ₺592

-68.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.29 PKR 6,436

$54.9 ₺2,754

-57.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PKR 1,487

$9.26 ₺465

-41.90%

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

$2.59 PKR 716

$4.30 ₺216

-39.77%

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

$0.34 PKR 94.7

$1.77 ₺89.0

-80.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 57.8

$0.56 ₺28.32

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 PKR 274

$1.25 ₺62.7

-20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 PKR 211

$0.88 ₺44.17

-13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PKR 359

$2.20 ₺111

-40.91%

Eggs

$1.21 PKR 335

$2.43 ₺122

-50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 PKR 1,691

$10.48 ₺526

-41.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 PKR 865

$5.31 ₺267

-41.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.45 PKR 1,507

$21.10 ₺1,058

-74.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.86 ₺93.1

-31.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 PKR 242

$2.30 ₺115

-61.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 PKR 286

$1.22 ₺61.0

-14.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.80 ₺90.2

-68.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.7

$0.69 ₺34.83

-57.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 105

$0.64 ₺32.16

-40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$1.36 ₺68.0

-79.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.58 ₺28.94

-27.59%

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)

$2.37 PKR 654

$2.34 ₺117

1.28%

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)

$0.20 PKR 55.7

$0.88 ₺44.07

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.87 PKR 2,728

$66.1 ₺3,316

-85.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 PKR 339

$1.28 ₺64.4

-3.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.85 ₺42.80

-16.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 PKR 460

$11.09 ₺556

-85.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 PKR 379

$1.48 ₺74.0

-7.43%

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

$21.3K PKR 5.9M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-56.19%

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

$23.0K PKR 6.4M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-45.17%

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

$103 PKR 28.6K

$92.7 ₺4,650

11.55%

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

$5.86 PKR 1,620

$11.20 ₺562

-47.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.97 PKR 4,688

$15.89 ₺797

6.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.65 PKR 4,050

$74.7 ₺3,745

-80.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.87 PKR 2,176

$22.95 ₺1,151

-65.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 PKR 1,361

$8.05 ₺404

-38.88%

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

$43.15 PKR 11.9K

$948 ₺47.6K

-95.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,053 PKR 290.9K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-97.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.20 PKR 7,240

$53.9 ₺2,702

-51.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.47 PKR 9,525

$41.49 ₺2,081

-16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 PKR 26.2K

$101 ₺5,060

-6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.03 PKR 11.1K

$91.3 ₺4,580

-56.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 PKR 37.2K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-86.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.6 PKR 23.1K

$625 ₺31.3K

-86.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 PKR 73.5K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-86.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.3K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-83.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$807 PKR 223.0K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-72.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 PKR 138.0K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-71.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

40.42

-67.64%

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

Last update for Swabi: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swabi

$126 24.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 5.1% $6.5

Groceries & Markets

Swabi

$104 20%

Istanbul

$258 17% 148% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Swabi

$88 16.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 47.2% $41

Accommodation & Living

Swabi

$84 16%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 647% $541

Eating Out

Swabi

$79 15.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 180% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Swabi

$25 4.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 271% $66

Getting Around

Swabi

$15 3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 387% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $135 in Swabi versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 $23 in Swabi versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $104 vs $258 – making Swabi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Swabi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

2 h behind Swabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,412

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swabi Istanbul 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Swabi
Istanbul

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

Swabi vs Istanbul: 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 $782 per month in Swabi and $2,278 in Istanbul. 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 $43 per month in Swabi and $948 in Istanbul. 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.