Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afghanistan and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Afghanistan: $551 a month against $2,537 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Afghanistan
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Afghanistan Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$551

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Afghanistan and in Australia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Afghanistan and in Australia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $551 per month in Afghanistan vs $2,537 in Australia, rent included.

Afghanistan $551
Australia $2,537

A couple spends around $741 per month in Afghanistan vs $3,682 in Australia, rent included.

Afghanistan $741
Australia $3,682

A family of three spends $930 per month in Afghanistan vs $4,828 in Australia, rent included.

Afghanistan $930
Australia $4,828

The cost of living in Afghanistan is roughly 78% lower than in Australia on average.

Afghanistan sits 59% below the global median, while Australia is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.35 ؋152

$17.66 A$25.27

-86.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.67 ؋691

$82.8 A$118

-87.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.86 ؋250

$11.22 A$16.05

-65.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ؋137

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.74 ؋501

Cappuccino

$1.02 ؋66.4

$3.85 A$5.51

-73.51%

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

$0.45 ؋28.93

$2.85 A$4.08

-84.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ؋12.01

$2.37 A$3.39

-91.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 A$11.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.49 A$12.16

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ؋51.3

$1.74 A$2.49

-54.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 ؋18.17

$2.78 A$3.98

-89.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 ؋126

$2.21 A$3.16

-12.22%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$5.06 A$7.25

-68.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.73 ؋306

$9.87 A$14.12

-52.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ؋249

$8.95 A$12.80

-56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 ؋435

$14.71 A$21.06

-54.32%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.50

$3.76 A$5.39

-81.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ؋60.0

$2.99 A$4.28

-68.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 ؋66.5

$3.10 A$4.43

-66.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ؋34.53

$4.62 A$6.61

-88.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.89

$2.82 A$4.03

-80.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ؋26.32

$2.30 A$3.29

-82.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ؋25.72

$2.32 A$3.32

-82.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 ؋22.25

$1.71 A$2.44

-80.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ؋47.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋66.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ؋148

$38.17 A$54.6

-94.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.70

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.91 A$7.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 A$7.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ؋19.34

$2.84 A$4.07

-89.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.43 ؋934

$94.3 A$135

-84.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ؋96.8

$3.44 A$4.92

-56.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.04

$1.59 A$2.28

-69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ؋112

$39.37 A$56.3

-95.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.6

$1.31 A$1.88

-15.27%

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

$8,439 ؋546.5K

$27.7K A$39.7K

-69.57%

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

$34.2K ؋2.2M

$28.1K A$40.2K

21.88%

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

$57.5 ؋3,724

$201 A$288

-71.41%

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

$13.64 ؋884

$28.45 A$40.72

-52.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$163 ؋10.6K

$57.4 A$82.2

184.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.68 ؋692

$56.7 A$81.1

-81.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.03 ؋261

$19.28 A$27.60

-79.10%

Cinema Ticket

$2.57 ؋166

$15.07 A$21.56

-82.95%

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

$20.21 ؋1,309

$2,116 A$3,028

-99.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,302 ؋84.3K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-92.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.25 ؋858

$79.5 A$114

-83.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.30 ؋1,185

$54.9 A$78.5

-66.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.65 ؋2,827

$113 A$161

-61.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.51 ؋2,105

$122 A$175

-73.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,464

$1,582 A$2,264

-92.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 ؋5,810

$1,225 A$1,753

-92.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ؋12.7K

$2,409 A$3,447

-91.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ؋7,217

$1,911 A$2,734

-94.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$652 ؋42.2K

$7,995 A$11.4K

-91.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$351 ؋22.7K

$5,968 A$8,541

-94.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 ؋16.8K

$3,926 A$5,619

-93.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.22

5.92

207.77%

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

Last update for Afghanistan: October 6, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Afghanistan

$235 42.2%

Australia

$287 11.3% 22.4% $52

Groceries & Markets

Afghanistan

$102 18.4%

Australia

$370 14.5% 261% $268

Accommodation & Living

Afghanistan

$90 16.1%

Australia

$1.2K 48% 1265% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Afghanistan

$48 8.7%

Australia

$166 6.5% 243% $118

Eating Out

Afghanistan

$45 8.1%

Australia

$298 11.7% 559% $253

Getting Around

Afghanistan

$20 3.5%

Australia

$117 4.6% 500% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Afghanistan

$16 2.9%

Australia

$87 3.4% 449% $71

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $27.00 in Afghanistan vs $1,371 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $125 in Kabul and $1,711 in Canberra.

Average salary: $228 in Afghanistan vs $3,856 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 4978% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 1086% more in Australia.

Public transport is 1420% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 1591% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

21:32 9:32 PM

6 h 30 min ahead of Afghanistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,454,761

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Afghanistan Australia 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Afghanistan
Australia

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

Afghanistan vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Afghanistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 360% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,371 versus $27.00 in Afghanistan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Afghanistan, adding to the overall 360% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Afghanistan, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Afghanistan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.