Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $458 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $458 in Skardu, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Skardu $458

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $686 in Skardu, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Skardu $686

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $914 in Skardu, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Skardu $914

Istanbul costs about 232% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Skardu is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.23 PKR 617

429.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$10.43 PKR 2,883

426.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.43 PKR 1,502

70.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 PKR 684

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 PKR 1,588

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.56 PKR 432

175.64%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.34 PKR 93.1

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.21 PKR 58.7

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.79 PKR 219

58.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.64 PKR 176

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.06 PKR 294

107.55%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.16 PKR 322

109.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$5.93 PKR 1,640

76.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.54 PKR 703

109.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.35 PKR 1,480

294.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.18 PKR 326

57.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.57 PKR 159

303.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.74 PKR 206

64.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.57 PKR 158

215.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 PKR 82.6

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.36 PKR 101

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.46 PKR 127

195.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.34 PKR 94.8

70.59%

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)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.26 PKR 625

3.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.17 PKR 48.04

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$11.40 PKR 3,152

480.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.97 PKR 270

31.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.80 PKR 222

6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.68 PKR 466

560.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.33 PKR 367

11.28%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$20.4K PKR 5.6M

138.31%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

87.79%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$108 PKR 29.9K

-14.17%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$3.71 PKR 1,026

201.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$13.65 PKR 3,776

16.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.64 PKR 4,048

410.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.28 PKR 2,013

215.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.22 PKR 1,168

90.76%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$40.75 PKR 11.3K

2227.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$947 PKR 261.8K

3800.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$14.49 PKR 4,007

271.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$25.16 PKR 6,957

64.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$69.5 PKR 19.2K

45.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$34.52 PKR 9,547

164.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$134 PKR 37.0K

657.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$79.8 PKR 22.1K

682.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$301 PKR 83.3K

565.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$169 PKR 46.8K

566.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$847 PKR 234.2K

252.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$555 PKR 153.6K

211.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

210.92%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Skardu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Skardu

$80 17.4% 87.2% $545

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Skardu

$92 20.2% 64.2% $166

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Skardu

$55 12% 75.1% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Skardu

$65 14.1% 50% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Skardu

$125 27.4% 4.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Skardu

$23 5.1% 74.6% $68

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Skardu

$17 3.7% 77.3% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $134 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 $55 in Istanbul versus $10 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $92 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

20:19 8:19 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

260,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Skardu 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 232%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $686 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $41 in Skardu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 179% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $458, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Skardu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Skardu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 70% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.