Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index

Jump to prices

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $500 in Rawalpindi versus $426 in Skardu.

Rawalpindi $500
Skardu $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $786 in Rawalpindi versus $636 in Skardu.

Rawalpindi $786
Skardu $636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,073 in Rawalpindi versus $847 in Skardu.

Rawalpindi $1,073
Skardu $847

Living in Rawalpindi is roughly 17% more expensive than in Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Skardu 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 PKR 588

$1.84 PKR 509

15.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.46 PKR 4,556

$11.31 PKR 3,132

45.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$4.65 PKR 1,286

31.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

$2.72 PKR 753

-34.56%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 PKR 938

$5.11 PKR 1,415

-33.66%

Cappuccino

$1.93 PKR 534

$1.68 PKR 464

14.88%

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

$0.43 PKR 119

$0.31 PKR 84.5

38.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.5

$0.18 PKR 50.3

27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 PKR 235

$0.86 PKR 238

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$0.59 PKR 164

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 338

$1.16 PKR 320

5.17%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 308

$1.20 PKR 333

-7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 PKR 1,684

$5.40 PKR 1,494

12.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 PKR 981

$2.50 PKR 691

42.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 PKR 1,451

$5.02 PKR 1,389

4.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.10 PKR 305

9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$0.54 PKR 149

61.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 349

$0.79 PKR 220

59.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.55 PKR 153

-3.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.28 PKR 76.3

39.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 134

$0.35 PKR 97.5

37.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 PKR 88.5

$0.46 PKR 127

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 118

$0.38 PKR 104

13.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.54 PKR 4,577

$1.59 PKR 441

940.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.07 PKR 295

14.02%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 PKR 696

$2.04 PKR 563

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 PKR 555

$2.10 PKR 580

-4.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.16 PKR 45.37

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 PKR 2,685

$9.06 PKR 2,509

7.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.24 PKR 343

-30.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.71 PKR 196

-47.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 PKR 872

$1.83 PKR 506

72.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.18 PKR 327

5.08%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

-1.79%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

-9.87%

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

$114 PKR 31.5K

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

29.42%

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

$5.84 PKR 1,616

$3.60 PKR 996

62.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,203

$13.36 PKR 3,697

40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.23 PKR 3,385

$15.33 PKR 4,243

-20.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 PKR 2,063

$7.98 PKR 2,208

-6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PKR 1,180

$4.88 PKR 1,351

-12.70%

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

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

1.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

-4.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.45 PKR 4,831

$19.16 PKR 5,304

-8.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.71 PKR 9,054

$24.54 PKR 6,793

33.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

55.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 PKR 9,949

$34.15 PKR 9,451

5.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 PKR 54.8K

$128 PKR 35.4K

54.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 PKR 115.3K

$250 PKR 69.3K

66.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 PKR 61.8K

$139 PKR 38.4K

60.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

11.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$450 PKR 124.5K

$494 PKR 136.8K

-9.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

75.46%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 24.2% $34

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 12.2% $13

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 5.8% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 23.1% $19

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 17% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 20.9% $4.3

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 9.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $198 in Rawalpindi and $128 in Skardu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16.00 in Rawalpindi vs $11.00 in Skardu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $90.0 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

Same time as Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

260,000

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawalpindi Skardu 300 km

From you

Rawalpindi
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

Rawalpindi vs Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi and Skardu differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($500 vs $426 including rent). Skardu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $750 in Rawalpindi 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: $198 in Rawalpindi versus $128 in Skardu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Skardu – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $16.00 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $500 per month in Rawalpindi versus $426 in Skardu – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Skardu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rawalpindi 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 17% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.