Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Name: Pakistan
Address: PK

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $481 a month against $551 in Afghanistan, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. The total is higher in Afghanistan despite lower rent and utilities.

27

Cost of Living Index in Afghanistan
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Afghanistan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
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Pakistan Living Index

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🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$551

/mo nomad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Afghanistan and in Pakistan

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

A single person spends $551 per month in Afghanistan vs $481 in Pakistan, rent included.

Afghanistan $551
Pakistan $481

A couple spends around $741 per month in Afghanistan vs $719 in Pakistan, rent included.

Afghanistan $741
Pakistan $719

A family of three spends $930 per month in Afghanistan vs $956 in Pakistan, rent included.

Afghanistan $930
Pakistan $956

The cost of living in Afghanistan is about 15% higher than in Pakistan on average.

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are more affordable than the global median – Afghanistan 59% lower, Pakistan 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.35 ؋152

$2.18 PKR 604

7.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.67 ؋691

$13.87 PKR 3,838

-23.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.86 ؋250

$5.37 PKR 1,487

-28.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ؋137

$2.21 PKR 610

-4.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.74 ؋501

$4.29 PKR 1,187

80.42%

Cappuccino

$1.02 ؋66.4

$2.00 PKR 553

-49.00%

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

$0.45 ؋28.93

$0.39 PKR 107

15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ؋12.01

$0.23 PKR 63.8

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ؋51.3

$0.86 PKR 238

-8.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 ؋18.17

$0.63 PKR 174

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 ؋126

$1.21 PKR 335

60.33%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$1.22 PKR 337

30.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.73 ؋306

$5.35 PKR 1,480

-11.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ؋249

$2.88 PKR 798

33.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 ؋435

$5.12 PKR 1,416

31.25%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.50

$1.20 PKR 333

-42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ؋60.0

$0.65 PKR 180

43.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 ؋66.5

$0.90 PKR 250

14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ؋34.53

$0.54 PKR 149

-1.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.89

$0.33 PKR 91.8

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ؋26.32

$0.41 PKR 114

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ؋25.72

$0.34 PKR 95.1

17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 ؋22.25

$0.41 PKR 112

-17.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

$2.01 PKR 557

-9.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ؋47.89

$1.08 PKR 299

-31.48%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋66.3

$2.22 PKR 616

-54.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ؋148

$2.15 PKR 595

6.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ؋19.34

$0.19 PKR 53.8

57.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.43 ؋934

$10.13 PKR 2,803

42.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ؋96.8

$0.88 PKR 244

69.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.04

$0.53 PKR 146

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ؋112

$2.16 PKR 598

-19.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.6

$1.29 PKR 358

-13.95%

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

$8,439 ؋546.5K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

-54.08%

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

$34.2K ؋2.2M

$25.0K PKR 6.9M

36.73%

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

$57.5 ؋3,724

$110 PKR 30.5K

-47.79%

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

$13.64 ؋884

$5.43 PKR 1,502

151.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$163 ؋10.6K

$15.97 PKR 4,421

922.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.68 ؋692

$17.19 PKR 4,758

-37.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.03 ؋261

$11.36 PKR 3,144

-64.52%

Cinema Ticket

$2.57 ؋166

$4.38 PKR 1,213

-41.32%

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

$20.21 ؋1,309

$45.75 PKR 12.7K

-55.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,302 ؋84.3K

$1,510 PKR 418.0K

-13.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.25 ؋858

$17.15 PKR 4,746

-22.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.30 ؋1,185

$24.18 PKR 6,691

-24.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.65 ؋2,827

$77.1 PKR 21.3K

-43.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.51 ؋2,105

$35.10 PKR 9,714

-7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,464

$140 PKR 38.8K

-17.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 ؋5,810

$79.5 PKR 22.0K

12.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ؋12.7K

$315 PKR 87.1K

-37.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ؋7,217

$173 PKR 47.8K

-35.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$652 ؋42.2K

$1,017 PKR 281.4K

-35.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$351 ؋22.7K

$538 PKR 148.9K

-34.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 ؋16.8K

$194 PKR 53.8K

33.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.22

14.1

29.22%

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

Last update for Afghanistan: October 6, 2026

Last update for Pakistan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Afghanistan

$235 42.2%

Pakistan

$132 27.7% 43.9% $103

Groceries & Markets

Afghanistan

$102 18.4%

Pakistan

$95 19.9% 7.5% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Afghanistan

$90 16.1%

Pakistan

$79 16.7% 11.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Afghanistan

$48 8.7%

Pakistan

$69 14.5% 42.5% $21

Eating Out

Afghanistan

$45 8.1%

Pakistan

$60 12.6% 32.7% $15

Getting Around

Afghanistan

$20 3.5%

Pakistan

$14 3% 26% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Afghanistan

$16 2.9%

Pakistan

$26 5.5% 64.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $27.00 in Afghanistan vs $123 in Pakistan. For reference, capital cities sit at $125 in Kabul and $272 in Islamabad.

Average salary: $228 in Afghanistan vs $182 in Pakistan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 356% higher in Pakistan.

Dining out costs 86% more in Pakistan.

Public transport is 80% more expensive in Pakistan.

Salaries are 25% higher in Afghanistan.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

30 min ahead of Afghanistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,454,761

223,773,700

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Afghanistan Pakistan 370 km

From you

Afghanistan
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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

Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 15% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Afghanistan costs about 15% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Afghanistan. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Pakistan, but in Afghanistan it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Pakistan 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.