Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $483 in Karachi, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Karachi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Skardu versus $483 in Karachi.

Skardu $426
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $636 in Skardu versus $754 in Karachi.

Skardu $636
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $847 in Skardu versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Skardu $847
Karachi $1,025

Living in Skardu costs roughly 12% less than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skardu 69% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.11 PKR 585

-12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 PKR 3,132

$13.73 PKR 3,801

-17.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 PKR 1,286

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-15.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

$2.20 PKR 609

23.64%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

$7.37 PKR 2,040

-30.66%

Cappuccino

$1.68 PKR 464

$2.14 PKR 593

-21.50%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.5

$0.40 PKR 111

-22.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 PKR 50.3

$0.28 PKR 77.7

-35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$0.90 PKR 250

-4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$0.55 PKR 153

7.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.20 PKR 333

-3.33%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.25 PKR 346

-4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$5.96 PKR 1,650

-9.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$3.19 PKR 883

-21.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,389

$6.48 PKR 1,793

-22.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$1.24 PKR 344

-11.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.53 PKR 147

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 220

$1.03 PKR 284

-23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.51 PKR 142

7.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.3

$0.31 PKR 85.1

-9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$0.31 PKR 87.1

12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.41 PKR 113

12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.44 PKR 120

-13.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

$1.31 PKR 362

21.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

$1.33 PKR 369

-19.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

$2.42 PKR 670

-15.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.10 PKR 580

$1.83 PKR 508

14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 45.37

$0.28 PKR 76.8

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.06 PKR 2,509

$9.81 PKR 2,716

-7.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$0.87 PKR 240

42.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.74 PKR 204

-4.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$2.23 PKR 617

-17.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.38 PKR 383

-14.49%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

3.85%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

-0.85%

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

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

$113 PKR 31.4K

-22.48%

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

$3.60 PKR 996

$6.12 PKR 1,694

-41.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.36 PKR 3,697

$13.11 PKR 3,628

1.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.33 PKR 4,243

$21.78 PKR 6,029

-29.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 PKR 2,208

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-56.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 PKR 1,351

$4.26 PKR 1,179

14.55%

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

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

-8.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

-44.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.16 PKR 5,304

$17.53 PKR 4,852

9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 PKR 6,793

$22.88 PKR 6,332

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

-12.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.15 PKR 9,451

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

-17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$118 PKR 32.5K

8.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

6.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 PKR 69.3K

$360 PKR 99.6K

-30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.4K

$188 PKR 52.1K

-26.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

-1.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.8K

$474 PKR 131.2K

4.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 PKR 50.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.21

-1.59%

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

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$105 24.6%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 26.5% $28

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$90 21.2%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 13.1% $12

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$78 18.4%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 6.5% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$62 14.5%

Karachi

$68 14% 9.1% $5.6

Eating Out

Skardu

$51 11.9%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 22.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$25 5.9%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 20.8% $5.2

Getting Around

Skardu

$15 3.4%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 6.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Skardu and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11.00 in Skardu vs $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $102 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

Same time as Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

14,910,352

💱 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

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Between locations

Skardu Karachi 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Skardu
Karachi

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 Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu and Karachi differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $483 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 $725 in Karachi 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 $118 in Karachi. 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 $483 in Karachi – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skardu runs roughly 8% less than in Karachi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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, Skardu and Karachi 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 14% less than in Karachi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.