Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Skardu versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Skardu $426
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $636 in Skardu versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Skardu $636
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $847 in Skardu versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Skardu $847
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Skardu costs roughly 82% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Skardu is 69% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 509

$17.89 €15.92

-89.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 PKR 3,132

$66.2 €58.9

-82.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 PKR 1,286

$13.69 €12.18

-66.03%

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

$3.06 €2.72

-45.10%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.5

$3.07 €2.73

-89.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 PKR 50.3

$1.94 €1.73

-90.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.30 €1.16

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$2.10 €1.87

-71.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.83 €1.62

-36.61%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$4.62 €4.11

-74.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$17.36 €15.44

-68.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$9.28 €8.25

-73.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,389

$19.83 €17.64

-74.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$3.01 €2.68

-63.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$2.03 €1.81

-73.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 220

$2.65 €2.36

-70.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$2.87 €2.55

-80.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.3

$2.16 €1.92

-87.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$2.15 €1.91

-83.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 127

$1.47 €1.31

-68.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.88 €0.79

-56.82%

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

$6.93 €6.16

-69.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 45.37

$2.91 €2.59

-94.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.06 PKR 2,509

$25.46 €22.64

-64.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$3.00 €2.66

-58.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.44 €1.28

-50.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$33.20 €29.53

-94.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.86 €1.65

-36.56%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$32.3K €28.8K

-41.07%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

$31.7K €28.2K

-17.29%

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

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

$183 €163

-51.95%

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

$3.60 PKR 996

$13.61 €12.11

-73.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.36 PKR 3,697

$32.93 €29.29

-59.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.33 PKR 4,243

$54.7 €48.65

-71.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 PKR 2,208

$16.52 €14.70

-51.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 PKR 1,351

$11.23 €9.99

-56.54%

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

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

$954 €849

-95.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-93.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.16 PKR 5,304

$86.0 €76.5

-77.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 PKR 6,793

$39.11 €34.78

-37.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

$104 €92.2

-42.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.15 PKR 9,451

$119 €106

-71.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$1,695 €1,508

-92.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

$1,276 €1,135

-93.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 PKR 69.3K

$2,576 €2,291

-90.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.4K

$1,922 €1,710

-92.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

$7,281 €6,477

-85.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.8K

$5,010 €4,456

-90.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,227 €1,981

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

296.34%

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

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$105 24.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 119% $125

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$90 21.2%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 260% $235

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$78 18.4%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 1531% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$62 14.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 153% $94

Eating Out

Skardu

$51 11.9%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 431% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$25 5.9%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 208% $52

Getting Around

Skardu

$15 3.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 226% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Skardu and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11.00 in Skardu vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $325 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

3 h behind Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skardu Barcelona 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Skardu
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu and Barcelona differ by about 460% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $2,381 including rent). Skardu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $638 in Skardu and $3,571 in Barcelona 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 $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $47.71 in Skardu versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 260% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $426 in Skardu versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skardu but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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 Barcelona 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 460% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.