Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swabi and Karachi

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Swabi
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Swabi Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Swabi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$511

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Swabi and in Karachi

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 Karachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Swabi $511
Karachi $483

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

Swabi $801
Karachi $754

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

Swabi $1,091
Karachi $1,025

Living in Swabi is roughly 6% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 PKR 971

$2.11 PKR 585

66.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.47 PKR 6,497

$13.73 PKR 3,801

70.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 PKR 1,010

$2.20 PKR 609

65.91%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 PKR 1,942

$7.37 PKR 2,040

-4.75%

Cappuccino

$2.69 PKR 745

$2.14 PKR 593

25.70%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.6

$0.40 PKR 111

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 PKR 258

$0.90 PKR 250

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 PKR 200

$0.55 PKR 153

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.20 PKR 333

5.00%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.25 PKR 346

-4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.05 PKR 1,674

$5.96 PKR 1,650

1.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 PKR 866

$3.19 PKR 883

-1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.39 PKR 1,491

$6.48 PKR 1,793

-16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.24 PKR 344

3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 229

$0.53 PKR 147

56.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 296

$1.03 PKR 284

3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.51 PKR 142

1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.4

$0.31 PKR 85.1

-6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.2

$0.31 PKR 87.1

16.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 76.7

$0.41 PKR 113

-31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.44 PKR 120

-4.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

$1.31 PKR 362

36.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.33 PKR 369

-6.02%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 PKR 658

$2.42 PKR 670

-1.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 PKR 643

$1.83 PKR 508

26.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 43.30

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.75 PKR 2,697

$9.81 PKR 2,716

-0.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 PKR 356

$0.87 PKR 240

47.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.74 PKR 204

-6.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$2.23 PKR 617

-28.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 384

$1.38 PKR 383

0.72%

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

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

17.96%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-9.32%

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

$101 PKR 27.8K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-11.25%

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

$6.11 PKR 1,691

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-0.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.33 PKR 4,796

$13.11 PKR 3,628

32.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.07 PKR 4,171

$21.78 PKR 6,029

-30.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.87 PKR 2,177

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-56.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 PKR 1,183

$4.26 PKR 1,179

0.23%

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

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

41.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,021 PKR 282.4K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

-47.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.59 PKR 7,360

$17.53 PKR 4,852

51.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.19 PKR 9,739

$22.88 PKR 6,332

53.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 PKR 26.9K

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

42.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.28 PKR 11.1K

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

-3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 PKR 34.4K

$118 PKR 32.5K

5.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.9 PKR 21.3K

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

5.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 PKR 69.5K

$360 PKR 99.6K

-30.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 PKR 42.0K

$188 PKR 52.1K

-19.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$928 PKR 256.9K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

-14.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.1K

$474 PKR 131.2K

-0.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

13.21

-0.98%

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

Last update for Swabi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swabi

$124 24.3%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 6.9% $8.5

Groceries & Markets

Swabi

$102 20%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Swabi

$90 17.5%

Karachi

$68 14% 24.6% $22

Eating Out

Swabi

$79 15.5%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 21.9% $17

Accommodation & Living

Swabi

$77 15.1%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 4.8% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Swabi

$24 4.6%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 28.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Swabi

$15 3%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 2.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $23.00 in Swabi vs $14.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $102, with Swabi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Swabi

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

Same time as Swabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,412

14,910,352

💱 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

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Between locations

Swabi Karachi 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Swabi
Karachi

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 Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $766 in Swabi and $725 in Karachi 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: $124 in Swabi versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $511 per month in Swabi versus $483 in Karachi – 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.