Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Skardu and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Skardu versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Skardu $426
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $636 in Skardu versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Skardu $636
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $847 in Skardu versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Skardu $847
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Skardu costs roughly 84% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Skardu is 69% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 509

$20.63 $20.63

-91.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 PKR 3,132

$84.6 $84.6

-86.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 PKR 1,286

$12.07 $12.07

-61.47%

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

$1.68 PKR 464

$5.48 $5.48

-69.34%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.5

$3.80 $3.80

-91.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 PKR 50.3

$2.47 $2.47

-92.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.11 $1.11

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$3.72 $3.72

-84.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$3.37 $3.37

-65.58%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$4.32 $4.32

-72.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$13.13 $13.13

-58.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$14.15 $14.15

-82.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,389

$16.33 $16.33

-69.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$4.55 $4.55

-75.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$1.46 $1.46

-63.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 220

$4.71 $4.71

-83.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$4.15 $4.15

-86.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.3

$2.58 $2.58

-89.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$2.35 $2.35

-85.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 127

$1.77 $1.77

-74.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$2.14 $2.14

-82.24%

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)

$2.10 PKR 580

$10.10 $10.10

-79.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 45.37

$1.54 $1.54

-89.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.06 PKR 2,509

$40.99 $40.99

-77.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$2.80 $2.80

-55.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.60 $1.60

-55.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$34.34 $34.34

-94.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$0.94 $0.94

25.53%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$34.0K $34.0K

-43.91%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

$26.8K $26.8K

-2.03%

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

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

$223 $223

-60.56%

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

$3.60 PKR 996

$58.9 $58.9

-93.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.36 PKR 3,697

$70.6 $70.6

-81.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.33 PKR 4,243

$57.7 $57.7

-73.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 PKR 2,208

$16.53 $16.53

-51.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 PKR 1,351

$14.26 $14.26

-65.78%

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

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

$1,511 $1,511

-96.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

$20.9K $20.9K

-94.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.16 PKR 5,304

$51.3 $51.3

-62.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 PKR 6,793

$44.17 $44.17

-44.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

$87.0 $87.0

-31.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.15 PKR 9,451

$104 $104

-67.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$1,940 $1,940

-93.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

$1,316 $1,316

-94.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 PKR 69.3K

$3,664 $3,664

-93.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.4K

$2,565 $2,565

-94.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

$7,354 $7,354

-85.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.8K

$3,129 $3,129

-84.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

91.46%

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

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$105 24.6%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 236% $247

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$90 21.2%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 350% $316

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$78 18.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 1582% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$62 14.5%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 109% $67

Eating Out

Skardu

$51 11.9%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 590% $299

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$25 5.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 244% $61

Getting Around

Skardu

$15 3.4%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 299% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Skardu and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11.00 in Skardu vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $406 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

15:45 3:45 PM

10 h behind Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skardu Austin, TX 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Skardu
Austin, TX

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

Skardu vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu wins on cost – living expenses run 534% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Skardu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $638 in Skardu and $4,046 in Austin, TX 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: $128 in Skardu versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Skardu versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 534% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skardu runs roughly 352% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Skardu versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skardu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Skardu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Skardu and Austin, TX 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 534% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.