Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,381 in Barcelona versus $426 in Skardu.

Barcelona $2,381
Skardu $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Barcelona versus $636 in Skardu.

Barcelona $3,406
Skardu $636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,431 in Barcelona versus $847 in Skardu.

Barcelona $4,431
Skardu $847

Living in Barcelona is roughly 460% more expensive than in Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 76% above, Skardu is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.92

$1.84 PKR 509

872.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$11.31 PKR 3,132

484.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.69 €12.18

$4.65 PKR 1,286

194.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.68 PKR 464

82.14%

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

$3.07 €2.73

$0.31 PKR 84.5

890.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.18 PKR 50.3

977.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.86 PKR 238

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.59 PKR 164

255.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.16 PKR 320

57.76%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$1.20 PKR 333

285.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$5.40 PKR 1,494

221.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.25

$2.50 PKR 691

271.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 €17.64

$5.02 PKR 1,389

295.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.10 PKR 305

173.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.54 PKR 149

275.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.79 PKR 220

235.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$0.55 PKR 153

421.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.28 PKR 76.3

671.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.35 PKR 97.5

514.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.46 PKR 127

219.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.38 PKR 104

131.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.16

$2.10 PKR 580

230.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.16 PKR 45.37

1718.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

$9.06 PKR 2,509

181.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.24 PKR 343

141.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.71 PKR 196

102.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.53

$1.83 PKR 506

1714.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.18 PKR 327

57.63%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

69.69%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

20.91%

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

$183 €163

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

108.11%

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

$13.61 €12.11

$3.60 PKR 996

278.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.29

$13.36 PKR 3,697

146.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 €48.65

$15.33 PKR 4,243

256.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 €14.70

$7.98 PKR 2,208

107.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$4.88 PKR 1,351

130.12%

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

$954 €849

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

1899.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K €14.8K

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

1434.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.5

$19.16 PKR 5,304

349.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €34.78

$24.54 PKR 6,793

59.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

73.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$34.15 PKR 9,451

247.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,508

$128 PKR 35.4K

1227.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

1530.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$250 PKR 69.3K

929.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 €1,710

$139 PKR 38.4K

1285.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,281 €6,477

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

580.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 €4,456

$494 PKR 136.8K

913.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-74.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 93.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.7%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 72.2% $235

Eating Out

Barcelona

$270 11.3%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 81.2% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.6%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 54.3% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$156 6.6%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 60.4% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$77 3.2%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 67.5% $52

Getting Around

Barcelona

$47 2%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 69.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $128 in Skardu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Barcelona vs $11.00 in Skardu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $90.0 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

3 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

260,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Skardu 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Skardu differ by about 460% in total monthly costs ($2,381 vs $426 including rent). Skardu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,571 in Barcelona and $638 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $128 in Skardu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $954 in Barcelona versus $47.71 in Skardu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 260% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $426 in Skardu versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skardu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Skardu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Skardu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Skardu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 460% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.