Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Skardu Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Skardu

😐 Solo nomad: Islamabad is 20.1% more expensive than Skardu without rent, and 39.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Islamabad is 27.7% more expensive than Skardu without rent, and 51.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.85 PKR 806
$1.74 PKR 490
63.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.4 PKR 4,068
$10.71 PKR 3,024
34.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.28 PKR 1,491
$4.21 PKR 1,190
25.42%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.75 PKR 496
$1.81 PKR 512
-3.31%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 PKR 1,083
$3.61 PKR 1,018
6.09%
Cappuccino
$2.01 PKR 567
$0.45 PKR 127
346.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 PKR 111
$0.32 PKR 90.3
21.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 PKR 68.1
$0.21 PKR 59.2
14.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1 PKR 282
$0.72 PKR 202
38.89%
White Bread (500g)
$0.67 PKR 188
$0.6 PKR 168
11.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 PKR 344
$1.21 PKR 341
0.83%
Eggs
$1.27 PKR 358
$1.18 PKR 334
7.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.15 PKR 1,736
$5.9 PKR 1,667
4.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.55 PKR 1,004
$2.59 PKR 732
37.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.31 PKR 1,216
$3.8 PKR 1,073
13.42%
Apples (1kg)
$1.03 PKR 292
$1 PKR 282
3.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.85 PKR 239
$0.6 PKR 170
41.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.9 PKR 255
$0.66 PKR 188
36.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.59 PKR 167
$0.52 PKR 148
13.46%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 PKR 118
$0.38 PKR 107
10.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.52 PKR 148
$0.47 PKR 133
10.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.31 PKR 87.3
$0.31 PKR 87.3
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.4 PKR 114
$0.36 PKR 102
11.11%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.78 PKR 503
$1.35 PKR 381
31.85%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 PKR 247
$0.91 PKR 258
-4.40%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 PKR 554
$1.97 PKR 556
-0.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.17 PKR 613
$1.9 PKR 537
14.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 PKR 53
$0.19 PKR 53.6
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.95 PKR 1,964
$7.16 PKR 2,023
-2.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.85 PKR 239
$0.9 PKR 254
-5.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.44 PKR 123
$0.41 PKR 115
7.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.9 PKR 820
$1.8 PKR 507
61.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 PKR 277
$0.99 PKR 279
-1.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K PKR 6.1M
$21.6K PKR 6.1M
-0.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26K PKR 7.3M
$23.2K PKR 6.5M
12.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 PKR 31.3K
$102 PKR 28.8K
8.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.35 PKR 1,512
$6.89 PKR 1,946
-22.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.38 PKR 5,191
$11.13 PKR 3,145
65.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.44 PKR 6,339
$12.42 PKR 3,508
80.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.02 PKR 1,700
$5.83 PKR 1,647
3.26%
Cinema Ticket
$4.3 PKR 1,214
$3.51 PKR 993
22.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$59.2 PKR 16.7K
$30.38 PKR 8,581
94.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,713 PKR 766.3K
$1,122 PKR 316.8K
141.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.17 PKR 5,980
$14.9 PKR 4,209
42.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.14 PKR 7,947
$21.89 PKR 6,182
28.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.7 PKR 24.8K
$70.4 PKR 19.9K
24.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$39.86 PKR 11.3K
$28.7 PKR 8,106
38.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$202 PKR 57K
$76.2 PKR 21.5K
164.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$112 PKR 31.5K
$51.6 PKR 14.6K
116.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$499 PKR 141.1K
$169 PKR 47.8K
194.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 PKR 84.3K
$108 PKR 30.5K
176.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,315 PKR 371.4K
$625 PKR 176.5K
110.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$781 PKR 220.5K
$381 PKR 107.5K
105.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Islamabad
Skardu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$289 PKR 81.6K
$278 PKR 78.4K
4.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.2
19
6.32%

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

Last update for Islamabad: October 29, 2025

Last update for Skardu: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.