Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $458 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$458

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $458 per month in Skardu vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Skardu $458
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $686 per month in Skardu vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Skardu $686
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $914 per month in Skardu vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Skardu $914
Istanbul $3,212

Skardu is about 70% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Skardu sits 66% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.23 PKR 617

$11.81 ₺592

-81.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.43 PKR 2,881

$54.9 ₺2,754

-81.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 PKR 1,501

$9.26 ₺465

-41.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 PKR 684

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 PKR 1,587

Cappuccino

$1.56 PKR 432

$4.30 ₺216

-63.72%

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

$0.34 PKR 93.1

$1.77 ₺89.0

-80.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.6

$0.56 ₺28.32

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 PKR 219

$1.25 ₺62.7

-36.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 PKR 176

$0.88 ₺44.17

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 PKR 294

$2.20 ₺111

-51.82%

Eggs

$1.16 PKR 321

$2.43 ₺122

-52.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 PKR 1,638

$10.48 ₺526

-43.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 PKR 702

$5.31 ₺267

-52.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.35 PKR 1,479

$21.10 ₺1,058

-74.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 326

$1.86 ₺93.1

-36.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 PKR 159

$2.30 ₺115

-75.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 PKR 206

$1.22 ₺61.0

-39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 PKR 157

$1.80 ₺90.2

-68.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 82.5

$0.69 ₺34.83

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 101

$0.64 ₺32.16

-43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 126

$1.36 ₺68.0

-66.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 PKR 94.8

$0.58 ₺28.94

-41.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.70 PKR 471

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 PKR 301

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 PKR 619

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 PKR 625

$2.34 ₺117

-3.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 48.00

$0.88 ₺44.07

-80.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.40 PKR 3,149

$66.1 ₺3,316

-82.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 PKR 269

$1.28 ₺64.4

-24.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 PKR 222

$0.85 ₺42.80

-5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 PKR 466

$11.09 ₺556

-84.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 PKR 367

$1.48 ₺74.0

-10.14%

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

$20.4K PKR 5.6M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-58.04%

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

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-46.75%

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

$108 PKR 29.8K

$92.7 ₺4,650

16.50%

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

$3.71 PKR 1,025

$11.20 ₺562

-66.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.65 PKR 3,773

$15.89 ₺797

-14.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.64 PKR 4,045

$74.7 ₺3,745

-80.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.28 PKR 2,011

$22.95 ₺1,151

-68.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.22 PKR 1,167

$8.05 ₺404

-47.58%

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

$40.75 PKR 11.3K

$948 ₺47.6K

-95.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$947 PKR 261.6K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-97.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.49 PKR 4,004

$53.9 ₺2,702

-73.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.16 PKR 6,952

$41.49 ₺2,081

-39.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 PKR 19.2K

$101 ₺5,060

-31.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.52 PKR 9,539

$91.3 ₺4,580

-62.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.0K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-86.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.8 PKR 22.0K

$625 ₺31.3K

-87.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 PKR 83.2K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-84.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 PKR 46.7K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-84.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$847 PKR 234.0K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-71.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$555 PKR 153.5K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-67.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-67.84%

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

Last update for Skardu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$125 27.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 4.5% $5.6

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$92 20.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 179% $166

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$80 17.4%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 683% $545

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$65 14.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 100% $65

Eating Out

Skardu

$55 12%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 301% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$23 5.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 293% $68

Getting Around

Skardu

$17 3.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 340% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Skardu versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 $10 in Skardu versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $92 vs $258 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

2 h behind Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skardu Istanbul 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Skardu
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 232%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Skardu and $2,278 in Istanbul. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $41 per month in Skardu and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 179% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $458, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Skardu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 70% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.