Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afghanistan and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $555 in Afghanistan, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Afghanistan
Learn more

Afghanistan Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$555

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Afghanistan and in India

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

A single person spends $555 per month in Afghanistan vs $399 in India, rent included.

Afghanistan $555
India $399

A couple spends around $745 per month in Afghanistan vs $639 in India, rent included.

Afghanistan $745
India $639

A family of three spends $934 per month in Afghanistan vs $879 in India, rent included.

Afghanistan $934
India $879

Cost ranges are similar: Afghanistan spans $24–$504, India $230–$813. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Afghanistan is about 39% higher than in India on average.

Both Afghanistan and India are more affordable than the global median – Afghanistan 59% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.25 ؋146

$2.14 ₹204

5.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.78 ؋700

$10.46 ₹995

3.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 ؋244

$3.80 ₹361

-1.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ؋132

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 ؋494

Cappuccino

$0.97 ؋62.8

$1.68 ₹160

-42.26%

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

$0.48 ؋31.24

$0.38 ₹36.00

26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋11.04

$0.15 ₹14.61

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.9

$0.62 ₹59.2

30.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 ؋18.33

$0.50 ₹47.77

-44.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 ؋120

$0.63 ₹60.3

193.65%

Eggs

$1.67 ؋109

$0.96 ₹91.3

73.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 ؋305

$4.85 ₹461

-3.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ؋240

$2.84 ₹271

29.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.44 ؋418

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.46

$2.00 ₹190

-66.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ؋65.7

$0.65 ₹61.4

55.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ؋66.2

$0.97 ₹92.3

5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 ؋37.38

$0.47 ₹44.31

23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋36.02

$0.34 ₹31.88

61.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ؋28.35

$0.42 ₹39.73

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 ؋23.49

$0.47 ₹44.40

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ؋24.47

$0.31 ₹29.68

22.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.90 ؋123

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ؋45.22

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋66.0

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ؋154

$5.08 ₹483

-53.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹695

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ؋21.03

$0.26 ₹24.86

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.55 ؋945

$8.58 ₹816

69.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ؋92.2

$1.00 ₹94.7

42.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.83

$0.27 ₹25.74

62.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ؋112

$1.54 ₹146

11.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋72.1

$1.07 ₹102

3.74%

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

$8,359 ؋542.9K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

-25.46%

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

$34.8K ؋2.3M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

73.38%

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

$57.1 ؋3,709

$37.08 ₹3,527

54.02%

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

$13.94 ؋905

$3.58 ₹341

289.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$165 ؋10.7K

$7.15 ₹680

2205.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.77 ؋700

$15.00 ₹1,427

-28.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.05 ؋263

$7.17 ₹682

-43.51%

Cinema Ticket

$2.66 ؋173

$3.20 ₹304

-16.88%

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

$20.34 ؋1,321

$58.8 ₹5,593

-65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,292 ؋83.9K

$1,667 ₹158.5K

-22.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.49 ؋876

$23.03 ₹2,191

-41.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.97 ؋1,167

$24.17 ₹2,299

-25.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.87 ؋2,849

$41.20 ₹3,919

6.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.87 ؋2,070

$29.62 ₹2,817

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 ؋7,588

$146 ₹13.9K

-20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 ؋5,828

$96.4 ₹9,166

-6.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 ؋13.1K

$343 ₹32.6K

-41.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 ؋7,333

$234 ₹22.2K

-51.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$664 ؋43.1K

$1,177 ₹111.9K

-43.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 ؋22.6K

$633 ₹60.2K

-45.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$261 ؋17.0K

$409 ₹38.9K

-36.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.22

8.93

104.03%

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

Last update for Afghanistan: October 27, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Afghanistan

$236 42.5%

India

$48 12% 79.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Afghanistan

$102 18.4%

India

$102 25.6% 0.3% $0.3

Accommodation & Living

Afghanistan

$90 16.2%

India

$96 24.1% 7.4% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Afghanistan

$48 8.7%

India

$53 13.3% 10.1% $4.9

Eating Out

Afghanistan

$43 7.8%

India

$67 16.7% 53% $23

Getting Around

Afghanistan

$19 3.5%

India

$12 3% 38.5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Afghanistan

$16 2.9%

India

$21 5.4% 32.9% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $89 in Afghanistan vs $120 in India. For reference, capital cities sit at $122 in Kabul and $277 in Delhi.

Average salary: $228 in Afghanistan vs $412 in India. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 35% higher in India.

Public transport is 113% more expensive in Afghanistan.

Salaries are 81% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Afghanistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,454,761

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.95 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.12 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Afghanistan India 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Afghanistan
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

India is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 28% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Afghanistan costs about 39% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Afghanistan. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

India is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.