Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swat and Karachi

For one person, living costs are similar in Swat and in Karachi: $473 and $483 a month, rent and utilities included.

23

Cost of Living Index in Swat
Learn more

Swat Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
Learn more

Karachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Swat

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$473

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $473 in Swat versus $483 in Karachi.

Swat $473
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $748 in Swat versus $754 in Karachi.

Swat $748
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,023 in Swat versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Swat $1,023
Karachi $1,025

Living in Swat costs roughly 2% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Swat 65% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 PKR 1,021

$2.11 PKR 585

74.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.41 PKR 6,478

$13.73 PKR 3,801

70.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.67 PKR 1,015

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-33.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 PKR 1,028

$2.20 PKR 609

68.64%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 PKR 1,887

$7.37 PKR 2,040

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$2.65 PKR 732

$2.14 PKR 593

23.83%

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

$0.35 PKR 97.0

$0.40 PKR 111

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.7

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 PKR 258

$0.90 PKR 250

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 PKR 113

$0.55 PKR 153

-25.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.20 PKR 333

3.33%

Eggs

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.25 PKR 346

-3.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 PKR 1,737

$5.96 PKR 1,650

5.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 PKR 839

$3.19 PKR 883

-5.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 PKR 1,522

$6.48 PKR 1,793

-15.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 PKR 359

$1.24 PKR 344

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 PKR 239

$0.53 PKR 147

62.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 PKR 299

$1.03 PKR 284

4.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 143

$0.51 PKR 142

1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.5

$0.31 PKR 85.1

-6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 98.0

$0.31 PKR 87.1

12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 76.8

$0.41 PKR 113

-31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.44 PKR 120

-2.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 PKR 514

$1.31 PKR 362

41.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.33 PKR 369

-9.77%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 PKR 657

$2.42 PKR 670

-1.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 PKR 621

$1.83 PKR 508

22.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 42.93

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.56 PKR 2,645

$9.81 PKR 2,716

-2.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 PKR 355

$0.87 PKR 240

47.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 PKR 209

$0.74 PKR 204

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 PKR 444

$2.23 PKR 617

-27.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 PKR 364

$1.38 PKR 383

-5.07%

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

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

17.92%

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

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-11.11%

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

$103 PKR 28.4K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-9.50%

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

$5.50 PKR 1,522

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-10.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.00 PKR 4,704

$13.11 PKR 3,628

29.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.14 PKR 4,189

$21.78 PKR 6,029

-30.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.10 PKR 2,242

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-55.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.36 PKR 1,207

$4.26 PKR 1,179

2.35%

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

$42.55 PKR 11.8K

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

-18.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,034 PKR 286.3K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

-46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.97 PKR 7,189

$17.53 PKR 4,852

48.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.11 PKR 9,718

$22.88 PKR 6,332

53.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.47 PKR 7,048

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

-62.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.04 PKR 11.1K

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

-3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.3K

$118 PKR 32.5K

8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.5 PKR 21.5K

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 PKR 80.2K

$360 PKR 99.6K

-19.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 PKR 46.4K

$188 PKR 52.1K

-11.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$867 PKR 240.1K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

-19.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$477 PKR 132.1K

$474 PKR 131.2K

0.70%

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 Swat: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swat

$125 26.4%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 6% $7.5

Groceries & Markets

Swat

$100 21.2%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 2% $2

Accommodation & Living

Swat

$78 16.4%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 5.6% $4.4

Eating Out

Swat

$75 15.8%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 17% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Swat

$57 12%

Karachi

$68 14% 18.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Swat

$24 5%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 27.1% $6.5

Getting Around

Swat

$15 3.2%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 1.6% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Swat and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Swat vs $14.00 in Karachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $100 vs $102, with Swat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Swat

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

Same time as Swat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Swat Karachi 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Swat
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

Swat vs Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swat and Karachi differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($473 vs $483 including rent). Swat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $710 in Swat 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: $128 in Swat versus $118 in Karachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $473 per month in Swat versus $483 in Karachi – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Swat runs roughly 3% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Swat 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 Swat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.