Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afghanistan and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Afghanistan: $555 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$555

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Afghanistan and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $555 per month in Afghanistan vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Afghanistan $555
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $745 per month in Afghanistan vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Afghanistan $745
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $934 per month in Afghanistan vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Afghanistan $934
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Afghanistan ($24–$504), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Afghanistan is roughly 77% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Afghanistan sits 59% below the global median, while the United Kingdom is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.25 ؋146

$21.48 £16.15

-89.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.78 ؋700

$85.7 £64.4

-87.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 ؋244

$10.61 £7.98

-64.56%

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

$4.91 £3.69

-80.24%

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

$0.48 ؋31.23

$2.66 £2.00

-81.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋11.04

$1.87 £1.40

-90.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.9

$1.68 £1.26

-51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 ؋18.33

$1.72 £1.29

-83.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 ؋120

$2.17 £1.63

-14.75%

Eggs

$1.67 ؋109

$4.00 £3.01

-58.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 ؋305

$9.42 £7.08

-50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ؋239

$9.19 £6.90

-59.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.44 ؋418

$14.77 £11.10

-56.40%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.45

$2.97 £2.23

-77.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ؋65.7

$1.62 £1.22

-37.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ؋66.2

$2.85 £2.15

-64.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 ؋37.37

$3.52 £2.65

-83.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋36.01

$1.83 £1.38

-69.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ؋28.35

$1.61 £1.21

-72.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 ؋23.49

$1.25 £0.94

-71.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ؋24.46

$1.66 £1.25

-77.11%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.90 ؋123

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ؋45.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋66.0

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ؋154

$23.65 £17.77

-89.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ؋21.03

$3.98 £2.99

-91.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.55 ؋945

$107 £80.7

-86.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ؋92.2

$5.18 £3.89

-72.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.82

$2.35 £1.76

-81.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ؋112

$26.84 £20.17

-93.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋72.1

$1.99 £1.49

-44.22%

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

$8,359 ؋542.8K

$39.4K £29.6K

-78.81%

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

$34.8K ؋2.3M

$40.5K £30.4K

-14.13%

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

$57.1 ؋3,709

$327 £246

-82.54%

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

$13.94 ؋905

$18.21 £13.69

-23.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$165 ؋10.7K

$43.60 £32.77

278.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.77 ؋699

$42.36 £31.83

-74.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.05 ؋263

$18.22 £13.69

-77.77%

Cinema Ticket

$2.66 ؋173

$13.85 £10.41

-80.79%

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

$20.34 ؋1,321

$1,868 £1,404

-98.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,292 ؋83.9K

$22.6K £17.0K

-94.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.49 ؋876

$92.9 £69.8

-85.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.97 ؋1,167

$45.92 £34.51

-60.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.87 ؋2,849

$102 £76.4

-56.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.87 ؋2,070

$102 £76.8

-68.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 ؋7,586

$1,342 £1,009

-91.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 ؋5,827

$1,073 £807

-91.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 ؋13.1K

$2,231 £1,677

-90.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 ؋7,332

$1,742 £1,309

-93.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$664 ؋43.1K

$5,601 £4,210

-88.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 ؋22.6K

$4,265 £3,205

-91.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$261 ؋17.0K

$3,349 £2,517

-92.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.22

5.32

242.48%

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

Last update for Afghanistan: October 27, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Afghanistan

$236 42.5%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 64.9% $153

Groceries & Markets

Afghanistan

$102 18.4%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 202% $205

Accommodation & Living

Afghanistan

$90 16.2%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 1096% $984

Clothing & Footwear

Afghanistan

$48 8.7%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 220% $106

Eating Out

Afghanistan

$43 7.8%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 654% $284

Getting Around

Afghanistan

$19 3.5%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 620% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Afghanistan

$16 2.9%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 335% $54

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $89 in Afghanistan vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $122 in Kabul and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $228 in Afghanistan vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1346% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 655% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 494% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

08:01 8:01 AM

4 h 30 min behind Afghanistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,454,761

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.27 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Afghanistan United Kingdom 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Afghanistan
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Afghanistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 77% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $89 in Afghanistan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Afghanistan, adding to the overall 344% price gap.

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