Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $537 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Delhi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$537

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi 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 Delhi and in Kabul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $537 per month in Delhi vs $488 in Kabul, rent included.

Delhi $537
Kabul $488

A couple spends around $908 per month in Delhi vs $664 in Kabul, rent included.

Delhi $908
Kabul $664

A family of three spends $1,279 per month in Delhi vs $839 in Kabul, rent included.

Delhi $1,279
Kabul $839

Delhi costs about 10% more than Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Kabul are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 60% lower, Kabul 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₹380

$2.83 ؋184

43.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.39 ₹2,009

$7.79 ؋506

174.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.86 ₹362

$4.59 ؋298

-15.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$2.41 ₹227

$1.13 ؋73.3

113.27%

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

$0.37 ₹34.78

$0.46 ؋29.80

-19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹14.85

$0.15 ؋9.71

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ₹195

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹294

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹66.2

$0.81 ؋52.8

-12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 ₹54.2

$0.25 ؋16.32

132.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ₹70.9

$1.86 ؋121

-59.14%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹110

$1.57 ؋102

-25.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.26 ₹400

$4.39 ؋286

-2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ₹314

$3.89 ؋253

-14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋436

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₹191

$0.69 ؋44.72

194.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹70.1

$0.85 ؋55.6

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 ₹96.5

$0.96 ؋62.2

7.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.65

$0.55 ؋35.66

-3.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹25.92

$0.65 ؋42.21

-56.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.94

$0.47 ؋30.75

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 ₹38.46

$0.30 ؋19.69

36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹26.94

$0.39 ؋25.17

-25.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.0

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.20 ₹488

$2.42 ؋157

114.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₹808

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₹152

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 ₹242

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

$6.70 ₹629

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ₹41.09

$0.13 ؋8.66

238.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.29 ₹1,248

$8.09 ؋526

64.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹96.8

$2.10 ؋136

-50.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.54

$0.45 ؋29.24

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₹196

$2.63 ؋171

-20.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹105

$1.11 ؋71.9

0.90%

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

$11.5K ₹1.1M

$8,558 ؋556.4K

33.92%

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

$19.2K ₹1.8M

$34.0K ؋2.2M

-43.42%

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

$39.54 ₹3,712

$42.10 ؋2,737

-6.08%

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

$4.31 ₹405

$12.70 ؋826

-66.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.66 ₹626

$95.2 ؋6,191

-93.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.46 ₹2,485

$11.29 ؋734

134.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 ₹772

$4.11 ؋267

100.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 ₹503

$2.33 ؋151

130.04%

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

$104 ₹9,742

$20.27 ؋1,318

411.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₹1.0M

$2,131 ؋138.6K

407.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.48 ₹2,298

$10.78 ؋701

127.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.28 ₹2,655

$15.98 ؋1,039

76.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.0 ₹4,885

$57.3 ؋3,728

-9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.51 ₹4,086

$25.02 ؋1,627

73.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₹26.1K

$125 ؋8,139

121.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ₹15.4K

$107 ؋6,939

54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₹77.1K

$219 ؋14.2K

274.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 ₹40.7K

$116 ؋7,519

274.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,670 ₹250.7K

$678 ؋44.1K

293.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 ₹106.1K

$356 ؋23.1K

217.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 ₹53.1K

$344 ؋22.4K

64.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

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

Last update for Delhi: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kabul: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$165 30.7%

Kabul

$107 21.9% 35.1% $58

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.2%

Kabul

$101 20.7% 7% $7.6

Eating Out

Delhi

$92 17.1%

Kabul

$52 10.7% 42.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 12.4%

Kabul

$49 10.1% 26.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$51 9.4%

Kabul

$150 30.7% 197% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Kabul

$16 3.3% 57.1% $21

Getting Around

Delhi

$17 3.2%

Kabul

$13 2.7% 25.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Delhi versus $125 in Kabul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in Delhi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi versus $8 in Kabul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $101 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

1 h behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 65.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.66 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Delhi Kabul 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
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

Delhi vs Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $537 in Delhi, $488 in Kabul – Kabul comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $805 per month in Delhi and $732 in Kabul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kabul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $278 in Delhi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi and $8 in Kabul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $537 in Delhi and $488 in Kabul. That makes Kabul about 9% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $537 in Delhi and $488 in Kabul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kabul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kabul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Delhi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.