Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $426 per month in Skardu vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Skardu $426
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $636 per month in Skardu vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Skardu $636
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $847 per month in Skardu vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Skardu $847
Medellin $3,199

Skardu is about 74% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Skardu sits 69% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 509

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-77.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 PKR 3,132

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-75.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 PKR 1,286

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-49.68%

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

$3.05 COP 9,676

-44.92%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.5

$1.80 COP 5,707

-82.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 PKR 50.3

$1.38 COP 4,382

-86.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$1.50 COP 4,760

-42.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$2.37 COP 7,508

-75.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.70 COP 5,377

-31.76%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$2.96 COP 9,379

-59.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-47.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-74.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,389

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-63.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-73.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$1.53 COP 4,839

-64.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 220

$2.22 COP 7,052

-64.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$2.27 COP 7,194

-75.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.3

$1.99 COP 6,311

-85.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$1.67 COP 5,285

-79.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 127

$1.18 COP 3,742

-61.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$1.24 COP 3,919

-69.35%

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

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-45.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 45.37

$1.24 COP 3,944

-87.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.06 PKR 2,509

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-88.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$1.28 COP 4,044

-3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$2.15 COP 6,803

-66.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-78.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.35 COP 4,288

-12.59%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-45.17%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-24.40%

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

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

$167 COP 528.4K

-47.30%

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

$3.60 PKR 996

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-73.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.36 PKR 3,697

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-54.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.33 PKR 4,243

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-66.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 PKR 2,208

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-53.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 PKR 1,351

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-29.99%

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

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

$790 COP 2.5M

-93.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-88.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.16 PKR 5,304

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-78.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 PKR 6,793

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-57.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

$139 COP 440.7K

-57.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.15 PKR 9,451

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-65.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-87.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

$620 COP 2.0M

-87.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 PKR 69.3K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-86.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.4K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-86.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-73.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.8K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-70.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

18.83%

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

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$105 24.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 99.8% $105

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$90 21.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 230% $208

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$78 18.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 692% $541

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$62 14.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 179% $111

Eating Out

Skardu

$51 11.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 237% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$25 5.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 135% $34

Getting Around

Skardu

$15 3.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 557% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Skardu versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 $11.00 in Skardu versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $90.0 vs $298 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

10 h behind Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skardu Medellin 14,500 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Skardu
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 282%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $638 per month in Skardu and $2,437 in Medellin. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Skardu and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $426 in Skardu and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 282%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Skardu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.