Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skardu and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $500 in Rawalpindi, rent and utilities included – about $890 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skardu and in Rawalpindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Skardu versus $500 in Rawalpindi.

Skardu $426
Rawalpindi $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $636 in Skardu versus $786 in Rawalpindi.

Skardu $636
Rawalpindi $786

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $847 in Skardu versus $1,073 in Rawalpindi.

Skardu $847
Rawalpindi $1,073

Living in Skardu costs roughly 15% less than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skardu 69% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 PKR 509

$2.13 PKR 588

-13.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 PKR 3,132

$16.46 PKR 4,556

-31.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 PKR 1,286

$6.12 PKR 1,695

-24.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

$1.78 PKR 493

52.81%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

$3.39 PKR 938

50.74%

Cappuccino

$1.68 PKR 464

$1.93 PKR 534

-12.95%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.5

$0.43 PKR 119

-27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 PKR 50.3

$0.23 PKR 63.5

-21.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$0.85 PKR 235

1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 164

$0.59 PKR 163

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$1.22 PKR 338

-4.92%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.11 PKR 308

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 PKR 1,494

$6.08 PKR 1,684

-11.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 PKR 691

$3.55 PKR 981

-29.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,389

$5.24 PKR 1,451

-4.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 305

$1.20 PKR 333

-8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.87 PKR 240

-37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 PKR 220

$1.26 PKR 349

-37.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$0.53 PKR 146

3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.3

$0.39 PKR 107

-28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.5

$0.48 PKR 134

-27.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 PKR 127

$0.32 PKR 88.5

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.43 PKR 118

-11.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

$16.54 PKR 4,577

-90.39%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

$1.22 PKR 337

-12.30%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

$2.52 PKR 696

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.10 PKR 580

$2.01 PKR 555

4.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 45.37

$0.20 PKR 55.2

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.06 PKR 2,509

$9.70 PKR 2,685

-6.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 343

$0.86 PKR 239

44.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 PKR 196

$0.37 PKR 103

91.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$3.15 PKR 872

-41.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.24 PKR 344

-4.84%

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

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

1.82%

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

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

10.95%

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

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

$114 PKR 31.5K

-22.73%

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

$3.60 PKR 996

$5.84 PKR 1,616

-38.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.36 PKR 3,697

$18.80 PKR 5,203

-28.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.33 PKR 4,243

$12.23 PKR 3,385

25.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 PKR 2,208

$7.45 PKR 2,063

7.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 PKR 1,351

$4.26 PKR 1,180

14.55%

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

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

$48.61 PKR 13.5K

-1.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

$1,038 PKR 287.4K

4.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.16 PKR 5,304

$17.45 PKR 4,831

9.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 PKR 6,793

$32.71 PKR 9,054

-24.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

$92.8 PKR 25.7K

-35.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.15 PKR 9,451

$35.95 PKR 9,949

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.4K

$198 PKR 54.8K

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

$83.1 PKR 23.0K

-5.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 PKR 69.3K

$417 PKR 115.3K

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.4K

$223 PKR 61.8K

-37.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

$1,196 PKR 331.0K

-10.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 PKR 136.8K

$450 PKR 124.5K

9.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 PKR 48.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

-43.01%

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

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skardu

$105 24.6%

Rawalpindi

$138 27.7% 32% $34

Groceries & Markets

Skardu

$90 21.2%

Rawalpindi

$103 20.6% 14% $13

Accommodation & Living

Skardu

$78 18.4%

Rawalpindi

$83 16.6% 6.2% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Skardu

$62 14.5%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1% 30.1% $19

Eating Out

Skardu

$51 11.9%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.2% 20.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Skardu

$25 5.9%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 17.3% $4.3

Getting Around

Skardu

$15 3.4%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 8.8% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Skardu and $198 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11.00 in Skardu vs $16.00 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $103 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Skardu

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

Same time as Skardu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

2,098,231

💱 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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Skardu Rawalpindi 300 km

From you

Skardu
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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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu and Rawalpindi differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $500 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 $750 in Rawalpindi 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 $198 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Skardu – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $16.00 in Rawalpindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Skardu versus $500 in Rawalpindi – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Rawalpindi 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 17% less than in Rawalpindi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.