Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $458 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Athens, Greece
Skardu, Pakistan
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,779
/mo nomad
Skardu
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$458
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Skardu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $458 in Skardu.

  • Athens $1,779
  • Skardu $458

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $686 in Skardu.

  • Athens $2,721
  • Skardu $686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $914 in Skardu.

  • Athens $3,663
  • Skardu $914

Living in Athens is roughly 289% more expensive than in Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Skardu is 66% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.99
$2.23 PKR 617
654.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.0 €58.8
$10.43 PKR 2,881
532.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 €9.98
$5.43 PKR 1,501
106.45%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.47 PKR 684
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.74 PKR 1,587
-
Cappuccino
$4.08 €3.64
$1.56 PKR 432
161.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.47
$0.34 PKR 93.1
714.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$0.21 PKR 58.6
157.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.07
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 €5.58
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.64
$0.79 PKR 219
132.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.27
$0.64 PKR 176
123.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 €2.38
$1.06 PKR 294
151.89%
Eggs
$4.95 €4.41
$1.16 PKR 321
326.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.09 €13.44
$5.93 PKR 1,638
154.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.99 €9.79
$2.54 PKR 702
332.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.77 €17.60
$5.35 PKR 1,479
269.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.18 PKR 326
79.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$0.57 PKR 159
247.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 €1.18
$0.74 PKR 206
79.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$0.57 PKR 157
278.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 €0.94
$0.30 PKR 82.5
253.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$0.36 PKR 101
219.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.96
$0.46 PKR 126
134.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.75
$0.34 PKR 94.8
150.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.70 PKR 471
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.09 PKR 301
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.24 PKR 619
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.46 €4.86
$2.26 PKR 625
141.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.03 €8.93
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.82
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 €2.12
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Athens
Skardu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.20
$0.17 PKR 48.00
694.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.52 €27.18
$11.40 PKR 3,149
167.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 €3.39
$0.97 PKR 269
292.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 €0.92
$0.80 PKR 222
28.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.49 €14.68
$1.68 PKR 466
881.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.34 €2.09
$1.33 PKR 367
75.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.7K
$20.4K PKR 5.6M
36.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K €23.7K
$22.4K PKR 6.2M
19.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 €180
$108 PKR 29.8K
87.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.81 €23.87
$3.71 PKR 1,025
622.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.49 €27.14
$13.65 PKR 3,773
123.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 €48.14
$14.64 PKR 4,045
269.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.40 €24.40
$7.28 PKR 2,011
276.37%
Cinema Ticket
$10.44 €9.30
$4.22 PKR 1,167
147.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €505
$40.75 PKR 11.3K
1292.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K €13.5K
$947 PKR 261.6K
1503.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 €80.7
$14.49 PKR 4,004
525.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.32 €35.01
$25.16 PKR 6,952
56.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.7
$69.5 PKR 19.2K
51.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 €115
$34.52 PKR 9,539
273.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athens
Skardu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 €661
$134 PKR 37.0K
454.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 €577
$79.8 PKR 22.0K
712.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 €1,132
$301 PKR 83.2K
322.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 €999
$169 PKR 46.7K
563.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,999 €3,561
$847 PKR 234.0K
372.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,281 €2,921
$555 PKR 153.5K
490.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athens
Skardu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 €1,109
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.44
13
-65.85%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Skardu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athens
$648
Skardu
$80 87.7% $569
Groceries & Markets
Athens
$316
Skardu
$92 70.8% $224
Eating Out
Athens
$272
Skardu
$55 79.7% $216
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athens
$260
Skardu
$125 51.7% $134
Clothing & Footwear
Athens
$164
Skardu
$65 60.5% $99
Sport & Entertainment
Athens
$75
Skardu
$23 69.2% $52
Getting Around
Athens
$45
Skardu
$17 61.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $134 in Skardu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $10 in Skardu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $92 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Athens
🇵🇰 Skardu
🕒 Local time
12:03 12:03 PM
15:03 3:03 PM
3 h ahead of Athens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,090,508 Capital
260,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athens Skardu 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Athens
  • Skardu

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
Athens vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athens or Skardu?
Skardu wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Skardu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Athens and in Skardu?
You’d need roughly $2,669 in Athens and $686 in Skardu 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athens compared to Skardu?
Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $134 in Skardu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Athens and in Skardu?
Dining out is cheaper in Skardu – a meal for two runs $10 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Athens compared to Skardu?
All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $458 in Skardu – Skardu is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Athens or in Skardu?
At $458 in Skardu versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Skardu but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Skardu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athens or Skardu?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Skardu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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