Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afghanistan and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Afghanistan: $551 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$551

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Afghanistan is 49.2% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 63.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Afghanistan is 62.4% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 71.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.35 ؋152

$11.88 ₺585

-80.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.67 ؋691

$55.1 ₺2,714

-80.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.86 ؋250

$9.14 ₺450

-57.77%

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

$4.24 ₺209

-75.94%

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

$0.45 ؋28.93

$1.75 ₺86.0

-74.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ؋12.01

$0.54 ₺26.83

-64.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ؋51.3

$1.26 ₺62.1

-37.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 ؋18.17

$0.95 ₺46.81

-70.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 ؋126

$2.31 ₺114

-16.02%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$2.47 ₺122

-35.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.73 ؋306

$10.55 ₺520

-55.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ؋249

$5.60 ₺276

-31.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 ؋435

$21.21 ₺1,045

-68.32%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.50

$1.93 ₺95.1

-64.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ؋60.0

$2.29 ₺113

-59.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 ؋66.5

$1.28 ₺63.1

-19.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ؋34.53

$1.84 ₺90.8

-71.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.89

$0.67 ₺32.86

-17.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ؋26.32

$0.59 ₺29.31

-30.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ؋25.72

$1.33 ₺65.4

-69.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 ؋22.25

$0.59 ₺29.10

-42.37%

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

$2.36 ₺116

-2.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ؋19.34

$0.83 ₺40.64

-63.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.43 ؋934

$66.5 ₺3,273

-78.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ؋96.8

$1.35 ₺66.6

10.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.04

$0.85 ₺42.05

-43.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ؋112

$10.86 ₺535

-84.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.6

$1.47 ₺72.3

-24.49%

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

$8,439 ؋546.5K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-83.65%

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

$34.2K ؋2.2M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-23.02%

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

$57.5 ؋3,724

$89.2 ₺4,395

-35.54%

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

$13.64 ؋884

$11.60 ₺572

17.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$163 ؋10.6K

$16.10 ₺793

914.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.68 ؋692

$77.3 ₺3,805

-86.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.03 ؋261

$22.66 ₺1,116

-82.22%

Cinema Ticket

$2.57 ؋166

$8.34 ₺411

-69.18%

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

$20.21 ؋1,309

$974 ₺48.0K

-97.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,302 ؋84.3K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-94.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.25 ؋858

$52.7 ₺2,597

-74.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.30 ؋1,185

$39.16 ₺1,929

-53.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.65 ؋2,827

$103 ₺5,083

-57.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.51 ؋2,105

$96.6 ₺4,759

-66.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,464

$994 ₺49.0K

-88.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 ؋5,810

$629 ₺31.0K

-85.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ؋12.7K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-90.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ؋7,217

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-90.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$652 ؋42.2K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-79.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$351 ؋22.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-80.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 ؋16.8K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-78.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.22

41.09

-55.66%

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

Last update for Afghanistan: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Afghanistan

$235 42.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 50.1% $118

Groceries & Markets

Afghanistan

$102 18.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 158% $162

Accommodation & Living

Afghanistan

$90 16.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 602% $540

Clothing & Footwear

Afghanistan

$48 8.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 171% $83

Eating Out

Afghanistan

$45 8.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 382% $173

Getting Around

Afghanistan

$20 3.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 286% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Afghanistan

$16 2.9%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 494% $78

Good to know

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

1 h 30 min behind Afghanistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,454,761

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Afghanistan Istanbul 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Afghanistan
Istanbul

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afghanistan and Istanbul

TRY, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Afghanistan

Istanbul

Afghanistan

Istanbul

Afghanistan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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