Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kabul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $511 in Kabul.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kabul $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $684 in Kabul.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kabul $684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $857 in Kabul.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kabul $857

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 429% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kabul is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.70 ؋175

648.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$7.89 ؋511

977.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.51 ؋292

173.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.09 ؋70.5

401.83%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.45 ؋28.95

748.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.17 ؋10.83

1370.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.81 ؋52.4

39.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.25 ؋16.23

1412.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.86 ؋121

74.73%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.54 ؋99.7

168.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.46 ؋289

193.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.03 ؋261

255.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.71 ؋434

137.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$0.70 ؋45.11

525.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.89 ؋57.4

62.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$0.95 ؋61.5

377.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.55 ؋35.47

661.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.61 ؋39.34

331.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.51 ؋32.74

362.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.30 ؋19.48

486.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.37 ؋23.89

483.78%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ؋52.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋65.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.42 ؋157

305.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.13 ؋8.60

1046.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$21.08 ؋1,366

92.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.12 ؋138

25.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.45 ؋29.02

251.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$2.77 ؋179

1174.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.08 ؋69.9

-8.33%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$8,341 ؋540.2K

329.24%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.8K ؋2.2M

-19.53%

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

$219 $219

$42.09 ؋2,726

420.96%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$13.12 ؋850

342.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$95.3 ؋6,174

-28.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$11.15 ؋722

419.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$4.11 ؋266

260.58%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$2.34 ؋152

503.85%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$20.64 ؋1,337

7211.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,045 ؋67.7K

1952.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$10.71 ؋694

382.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$15.93 ؋1,032

176.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$57.8 ؋3,741

47.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$25.51 ؋1,652

312.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$125 ؋8,092

1446.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$109 ؋7,043

1070.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$219 ؋14.2K

1577.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$115 ؋7,463

2091.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$675 ؋43.7K

1028.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$363 ؋23.5K

780.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$339 ؋21.9K

1406.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kabul

$109 21.6% 91.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kabul

$102 20.2% 74.8% $301

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kabul

$51 10.1% 85.5% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kabul

$151 29.9% 56.4% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kabul

$49 9.8% 61.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kabul

$16 3.2% 81.6% $70

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kabul

$26 5.2% 54.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $125 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1406% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $8.00 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

AFN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kabul 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kabul

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

Austin, TX vs Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabul wins on cost – living expenses run 429% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kabul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1406% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $125 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $511 in Kabul – a 429% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 92% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $511 in Kabul versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 429% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.