Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Lahore

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $516 in Lahore, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
Learn more

Lahore Living Index

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Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Lahore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Skardu versus $516 in Lahore.

Skardu $426
Lahore $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $636 in Skardu versus $784 in Lahore.

Skardu $636
Lahore $784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $847 in Skardu versus $1,052 in Lahore.

Skardu $847
Lahore $1,052

Living in Skardu costs roughly 18% less than in Lahore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skardu 69% lower, Lahore 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.56 PKR 708

-28.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 PKR 3,132

$14.40 PKR 3,985

-21.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 PKR 1,286

$5.83 PKR 1,615

-20.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

$3.60 PKR 998

-24.44%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

$5.40 PKR 1,493

-5.37%

Cappuccino

$1.68 PKR 464

$2.66 PKR 735

-36.84%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.5

$0.38 PKR 106

-18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 PKR 50.3

$0.23 PKR 63.7

-21.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$0.92 PKR 254

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$0.78 PKR 217

-24.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.23 PKR 341

-5.69%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.16 PKR 321

3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$6.14 PKR 1,698

-12.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$2.62 PKR 724

-4.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,389

$4.83 PKR 1,336

3.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$1.18 PKR 327

-6.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.69 PKR 192

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 220

$0.87 PKR 240

-9.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.65 PKR 179

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.3

$0.32 PKR 88.9

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$0.40 PKR 109

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.51 PKR 141

-9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.35 PKR 95.6

8.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

$1.07 PKR 296

48.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

$0.65 PKR 180

64.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

$1.64 PKR 455

24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.10 PKR 580

$2.19 PKR 607

-4.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 45.37

$0.20 PKR 55.7

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.06 PKR 2,509

$5.44 PKR 1,506

66.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$0.92 PKR 254

34.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.70 PKR 194

1.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$1.78 PKR 492

2.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.34 PKR 371

-11.94%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

5.62%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

10.88%

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

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

$128 PKR 35.4K

-31.25%

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

$3.60 PKR 996

$5.46 PKR 1,512

-34.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.36 PKR 3,697

$16.41 PKR 4,542

-18.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.33 PKR 4,243

$22.38 PKR 6,194

-31.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 PKR 2,208

$11.32 PKR 3,134

-29.51%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 PKR 1,351

$4.28 PKR 1,185

14.02%

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

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

$51.2 PKR 14.2K

-6.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

$2,067 PKR 572.2K

-47.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.16 PKR 5,304

$18.08 PKR 5,003

5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 PKR 6,793

$28.28 PKR 7,827

-13.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

$72.6 PKR 20.1K

-17.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.15 PKR 9,451

$32.39 PKR 8,966

5.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$166 PKR 45.8K

-22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

$87.4 PKR 24.2K

-10.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 PKR 69.3K

$350 PKR 96.9K

-28.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.4K

$201 PKR 55.7K

-30.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

$786 PKR 217.6K

36.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.8K

$592 PKR 163.9K

-16.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$199 PKR 55.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

-7.47%

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

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lahore: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$105 24.6%

Lahore

$150 29% 42.8% $45

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$90 21.2%

Lahore

$97 18.8% 7.7% $7

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$78 18.4%

Lahore

$87 16.9% 11.7% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$62 14.5%

Lahore

$68 13.2% 10.1% $6.2

Eating Out

Skardu

$51 11.9%

Lahore

$72 14% 42.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$25 5.9%

Lahore

$31 6% 23.3% $5.9

Getting Around

Skardu

$15 3.4%

Lahore

$11 2.1% 26.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Skardu and $166 in Lahore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11.00 in Skardu vs $14.00 in Lahore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $97.0 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇵🇰 Lahore

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

Same time as Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

11,126,285

💱 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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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 Lahore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu and Lahore differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $516 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 $774 in Lahore 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 $166 in Lahore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Lahore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Skardu – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $14.00 in Lahore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Lahore 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 21% less than in Lahore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.