Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $426 in Skardu, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Skardu $426

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $636 in Skardu, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Skardu $636

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $847 in Skardu, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Skardu $847

Cape Town costs about 276% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Skardu is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$1.84 PKR 509

555.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$11.31 PKR 3,132

312.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$4.65 PKR 1,286

33.33%

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

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.68 PKR 464

48.81%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.31 PKR 84.5

335.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.18 PKR 50.3

455.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$0.86 PKR 238

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.59 PKR 164

115.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.16 PKR 320

87.07%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.20 PKR 333

157.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$5.40 PKR 1,494

66.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$2.50 PKR 691

179.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$5.02 PKR 1,389

92.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.10 PKR 305

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$0.54 PKR 149

257.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$0.79 PKR 220

124.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$0.55 PKR 153

296.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.28 PKR 76.3

442.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.35 PKR 97.5

345.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.46 PKR 127

186.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.38 PKR 104

202.63%

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)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.10 PKR 580

77.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.16 PKR 45.37

868.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$9.06 PKR 2,509

576.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$1.24 PKR 343

-51.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.71 PKR 196

116.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$1.83 PKR 506

173.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.18 PKR 327

35.59%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

85.80%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

32.15%

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

$119 R 1,955

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

35.08%

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

$29.42 R 485

$3.60 PKR 996

717.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$13.36 PKR 3,697

197.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$15.33 PKR 4,243

231.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$7.98 PKR 2,208

36.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$4.88 PKR 1,351

84.22%

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

$261 R 4,303

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

447.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

543.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$19.16 PKR 5,304

192.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$24.54 PKR 6,793

35.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

103.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$34.15 PKR 9,451

216.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$128 PKR 35.4K

704.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

819.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$250 PKR 69.3K

633.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$139 PKR 38.4K

880.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

125.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$494 PKR 136.8K

204.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-15.62%

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

Last update for Cape Town: 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

Cape Town

$720 45%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 89.1% $641

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 60.1% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 44.2% $83

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 71.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 56.9% $82

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 80.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 63.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $128 in Skardu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $11.00 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $90.0 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

02:27 2:27 AM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

260,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Skardu 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 276% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $638 in Skardu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skardu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $426 in Skardu. That's a gap of about 276%.

Public transport costs about 576% less in Skardu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skardu costs $426 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Skardu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.