Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Kabul

For one person, living costs are similar in Jalalabad and in Kabul: $498 and $504 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Jalalabad vs $504 in Kabul, rent included.

Jalalabad $498
Kabul $504

A couple spends around $682 per month in Jalalabad vs $683 in Kabul, rent included.

Jalalabad $682
Kabul $683

A family of three spends $866 per month in Jalalabad vs $862 in Kabul, rent included.

Jalalabad $866
Kabul $862

Jalalabad and Kabul have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Jalalabad and Kabul are more affordable than the global median – Jalalabad 63% lower, Kabul 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ؋148

$2.70 ؋175

-15.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.83 ؋508

$7.75 ؋503

1.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.88 ؋252

$4.68 ؋304

-17.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$0.76 ؋49.16

$1.12 ؋72.4

-32.14%

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

$0.48 ؋31.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 ؋57.6

$0.82 ؋53.3

8.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 ؋25.78

$0.25 ؋16.29

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ؋122

$1.79 ؋116

5.03%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$1.57 ؋102

7.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 ؋356

$4.39 ؋285

25.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 ؋177

$3.89 ؋252

-29.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 ؋392

$6.68 ؋433

-9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.24

$0.68 ؋44.38

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ؋39.06

$0.84 ؋54.7

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 ؋48.14

$0.94 ؋61.2

-21.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.53

$0.55 ؋35.86

-14.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ؋23.57

$0.61 ؋39.30

-40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ؋19.13

$0.48 ؋30.93

-39.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ؋21.12

$0.30 ؋19.60

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.45

$0.39 ؋25.51

-23.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.92 ؋255

$1.81 ؋117

116.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.3

$0.75 ؋48.41

5.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

$1.06 ؋68.7

-0.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ؋149

$2.43 ؋158

-5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ؋9.65

$0.16 ؋10.13

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.80 ؋701

$20.62 ؋1,338

-47.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ؋48.18

$2.04 ؋132

-63.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋30.87

$0.48 ؋31.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ؋97.8

$2.75 ؋178

-45.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ؋68.3

$1.08 ؋70.1

-2.78%

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

$8,330 ؋540.6K

$8,581 ؋556.9K

-2.93%

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

$33.9K ؋2.2M

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

$22.69 ؋1,472

$42.52 ؋2,760

-46.64%

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

$13.17 ؋855

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$231 ؋15.0K

$95.5 ؋6,198

141.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.84 ؋509

$11.01 ؋714

-28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.57 ؋296

$4.01 ؋260

13.97%

Cinema Ticket

$1.55 ؋101

$2.29 ؋149

-32.31%

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

$15.18 ؋985

$19.86 ؋1,289

-23.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,212 ؋78.7K

$1,052 ؋68.2K

15.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.45 ؋1,197

$10.53 ؋684

75.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.17 ؋985

$16.26 ؋1,055

-6.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.51 ؋1,526

$58.5 ؋3,796

-59.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.62 ؋1,987

$24.87 ؋1,614

23.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,424

$122 ؋7,930

-6.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$45.97 ؋2,984

$110 ؋7,169

-58.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 ؋15.0K

$220 ؋14.3K

5.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,933

$114 ؋7,430

6.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$466 ؋30.3K

$669 ؋43.4K

-30.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$355 ؋23.0K

-34.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 ؋12.0K

$339 ؋22.0K

-45.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$254 * 51%

Kabul

$151 30% 40.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$94 18.9%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 6.8% $6.4

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$46 9.2%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 140% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 25.5% $10

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 32% $12

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$15 2.9%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 77% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 42.4% $4.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jalalabad versus $122 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 83% higher in Kabul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad versus $8 in Kabul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $94 vs $101 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

Same time as Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jalalabad Kabul 120 km

From you

Jalalabad
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

Jalalabad vs Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $746 per month in Jalalabad and $757 in Kabul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $114 in Jalalabad and $122 in Kabul. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $15.18 per month in Jalalabad and $19.86 in Kabul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Kabul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $498 in Jalalabad and $504 in Kabul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – 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 Jalalabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kabul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.