Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swabi and Rawalpindi

For one person, living costs are similar in Swabi and in Rawalpindi: $511 and $500 a month, rent and utilities included.

25

Cost of Living Index in Swabi
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Swabi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index

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Swabi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$511

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Swabi and in Rawalpindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $511 in Swabi versus $498 in Rawalpindi.

Swabi $511
Rawalpindi $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $801 in Swabi versus $784 in Rawalpindi.

Swabi $801
Rawalpindi $784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,091 in Swabi versus $1,070 in Rawalpindi.

Swabi $1,091
Rawalpindi $1,070

Living in Swabi is roughly 3% more expensive than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Swabi 62% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 PKR 971

$2.13 PKR 588

64.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.47 PKR 6,497

$16.46 PKR 4,556

42.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 PKR 1,531

$6.12 PKR 1,695

-9.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 PKR 1,010

$1.78 PKR 493

105.06%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 PKR 1,942

$3.39 PKR 938

107.08%

Cappuccino

$2.69 PKR 745

$1.93 PKR 534

39.38%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.6

$0.43 PKR 119

-16.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$0.23 PKR 63.5

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 PKR 258

$0.85 PKR 235

9.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 PKR 200

$0.59 PKR 163

22.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$1.22 PKR 338

3.28%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.11 PKR 308

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.05 PKR 1,674

$6.08 PKR 1,684

-0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 PKR 866

$3.55 PKR 981

-11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.39 PKR 1,491

$5.24 PKR 1,451

2.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 354

$1.20 PKR 333

6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 229

$0.87 PKR 240

-4.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 296

$1.26 PKR 349

-15.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$0.53 PKR 146

-1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.4

$0.39 PKR 107

-25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.2

$0.48 PKR 134

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 76.7

$0.32 PKR 88.5

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.43 PKR 118

-2.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

$16.54 PKR 4,577

-89.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.22 PKR 337

2.46%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 PKR 658

$2.52 PKR 696

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 PKR 643

$2.01 PKR 555

15.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 43.30

$0.20 PKR 55.2

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.75 PKR 2,697

$9.70 PKR 2,685

0.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 PKR 356

$0.86 PKR 239

48.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.37 PKR 103

86.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$3.15 PKR 872

-49.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 384

$1.24 PKR 344

12.10%

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

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

15.65%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

1.47%

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

$101 PKR 27.8K

$114 PKR 31.5K

-11.54%

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

$6.11 PKR 1,691

$5.84 PKR 1,616

4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.33 PKR 4,796

$18.80 PKR 5,203

-7.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.07 PKR 4,171

$12.23 PKR 3,385

23.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.87 PKR 2,177

$7.45 PKR 2,063

5.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 PKR 1,183

$4.26 PKR 1,180

0.23%

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

$73.6 PKR 20.4K

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

51.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,021 PKR 282.4K

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

-1.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.59 PKR 7,360

$17.45 PKR 4,831

52.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.19 PKR 9,739

$32.71 PKR 9,054

7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 PKR 26.9K

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.28 PKR 11.1K

$35.95 PKR 9,949

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 PKR 34.4K

$198 PKR 54.8K

-37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.9 PKR 21.3K

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

-7.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 PKR 69.5K

$417 PKR 115.3K

-39.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 PKR 42.0K

$223 PKR 61.8K

-31.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$928 PKR 256.9K

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

-22.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$474 PKR 131.1K

$450 PKR 124.5K

5.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

22.81

-42.66%

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

Last update for Swabi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swabi

$124 24.3%

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7% 11.5% $14

Groceries & Markets

Swabi

$102 20%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6% 0.5% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Swabi

$90 17.5%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 10.2% $9.1

Eating Out

Swabi

$79 15.5%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2% 22.9% $18

Accommodation & Living

Swabi

$77 15.1%

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6% 8.1% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Swabi

$24 4.6%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 12.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Swabi

$15 3%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 12.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $124 in Swabi and $204 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Swabi vs $16.00 in Rawalpindi. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $103, with Swabi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Swabi

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

Same time as Swabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,412

2,098,231

💱 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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Swabi Rawalpindi 80 km

From you

Swabi
Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swabi and Rawalpindi differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($511 vs $498 including rent). Rawalpindi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $766 in Swabi and $748 in Rawalpindi 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 $204 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rawalpindi – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $23.00 in Swabi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $511 per month in Swabi versus $498 in Rawalpindi – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Swabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.