Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $426 in Skardu, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Skardu $426

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $636 in Skardu, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Skardu $636

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $847 in Skardu, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Skardu $847

Medellin costs about 282% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Skardu is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$1.84 PKR 509

351.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$11.31 PKR 3,132

314.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.65 PKR 1,286

98.71%

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

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.68 PKR 464

81.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.31 PKR 84.5

480.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.18 PKR 50.3

666.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.86 PKR 238

74.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.59 PKR 164

301.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.16 PKR 320

46.55%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.20 PKR 333

146.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$5.40 PKR 1,494

89.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.50 PKR 691

289.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$5.02 PKR 1,389

176.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.10 PKR 305

275.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.54 PKR 149

183.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.79 PKR 220

181.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.55 PKR 153

312.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.28 PKR 76.3

610.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.35 PKR 97.5

377.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.46 PKR 127

156.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.38 PKR 104

226.32%

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)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.10 PKR 580

84.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.16 PKR 45.37

675.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$9.06 PKR 2,509

763.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.24 PKR 343

3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.71 PKR 196

202.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.83 PKR 506

357.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.18 PKR 327

14.41%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

82.39%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

32.28%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

89.76%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$3.60 PKR 996

278.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$13.36 PKR 3,697

117.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$15.33 PKR 4,243

194.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$7.98 PKR 2,208

115.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.88 PKR 1,351

42.83%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

1555.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

735.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$19.16 PKR 5,304

358.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$24.54 PKR 6,793

136.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

133.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$34.15 PKR 9,451

189.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$128 PKR 35.4K

704.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

691.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$250 PKR 69.3K

651.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$139 PKR 38.4K

625.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

272.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$494 PKR 136.8K

244.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-15.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 87.4% $541

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 69.7% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 50% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 64.2% $111

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 70.3% $120

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 84.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 57.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin 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 Medellin versus $11.00 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $90.0 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

18:59 6:59 PM

10 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

260,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

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 COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Skardu 14,500 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 282%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $11.00 in Skardu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $426 in Skardu. That's a gap of about 282%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 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, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.