Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $426 in Skardu.

Phuket $1,208
Skardu $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $636 in Skardu.

Phuket $2,027
Skardu $636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $847 in Skardu.

Phuket $2,845
Skardu $847

Living in Phuket is roughly 184% more expensive than in Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Skardu 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.84 PKR 509

139.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$11.31 PKR 3,132

185.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.65 PKR 1,286

88.39%

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

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.68 PKR 464

68.45%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.31 PKR 84.5

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.18 PKR 50.3

161.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.86 PKR 238

101.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.59 PKR 164

149.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.16 PKR 320

30.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.20 PKR 333

80.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.40 PKR 1,494

264.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.50 PKR 691

33.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$5.02 PKR 1,389

122.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.10 PKR 305

159.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.54 PKR 149

214.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.79 PKR 220

177.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.55 PKR 153

272.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.28 PKR 76.3

417.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.35 PKR 97.5

294.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.46 PKR 127

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.38 PKR 104

34.21%

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)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.10 PKR 580

102.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.16 PKR 45.37

1312.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$9.06 PKR 2,509

143.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.24 PKR 343

142.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.71 PKR 196

49.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.83 PKR 506

110.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.18 PKR 327

22.88%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

38.14%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

2.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

9.75%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$3.60 PKR 996

206.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$13.36 PKR 3,697

28.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$15.33 PKR 4,243

240.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.98 PKR 2,208

39.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.88 PKR 1,351

60.04%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

1065.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

970.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$19.16 PKR 5,304

235.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$24.54 PKR 6,793

16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

59.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$34.15 PKR 9,451

157.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$128 PKR 35.4K

477.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

490.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$250 PKR 69.3K

737.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$139 PKR 38.4K

765.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

226.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$494 PKR 136.8K

410.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: 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

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 83.1% $384

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 66.4% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 15.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 50.2% $62

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 58.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 63% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 63.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $128 in Skardu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $11.00 in Skardu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $90.0 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

260,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Skardu 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 184% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket 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: $737 in Phuket versus $128 in Skardu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket 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 198% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $426 in Skardu versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skardu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Skardu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Skardu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket 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 184% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.