Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $496 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $42,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jalalabad, Afghanistan
London, United Kingdom
Jalalabad
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
$496
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jalalabad and in London

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Jalalabad vs $4,048 in London, rent included.

  • Jalalabad $496
  • London $4,048

A couple spends around $681 per month in Jalalabad vs $5,903 in London, rent included.

  • Jalalabad $681
  • London $5,903

A family of three spends $866 per month in Jalalabad vs $7,758 in London, rent included.

  • Jalalabad $866
  • London $7,758

Jalalabad is about 88% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jalalabad sits 63% below the global median, while London is 199% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.35 ؋153
$26.36 £19.68
-91.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$7.60 ؋494
$109 £81.1
-93.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.83 ؋249
$10.71 £8.00
-64.24%
Cappuccino
$0.78 ؋50.7
$5.59 £4.17
-86.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.00 £2.24
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.22 £1.66
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$9.65 £7.20
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$8.26 £6.16
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.83 ؋53.8
$1.97 £1.47
-57.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.40 ؋25.79
$2.09 £1.56
-80.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.89 ؋123
$2.59 £1.94
-27.03%
Eggs
$1.62 ؋106
$5.37 £4.01
-69.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.39 ؋351
$13.12 £9.79
-58.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ؋181
$11.03 £8.23
-74.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.32 ؋411
$17.73 £13.23
-64.35%
Apples (1kg)
$0.59 ؋38.63
$3.17 £2.37
-81.39%
Banana (1kg)
$0.65 ؋42.02
$1.38 £1.03
-52.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.80 ؋51.7
$2.82 £2.11
-71.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.48 ؋31.01
$3.36 £2.51
-85.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.39 ؋25.68
$1.70 £1.27
-77.06%
Onion (1kg)
$0.32 ؋21.05
$1.78 £1.33
-82.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.30 ؋19.38
$1.49 £1.11
-79.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.29 ؋19.15
$1.82 £1.36
-84.07%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$3.96 ؋257
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ؋49.35
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ؋68.7
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.30 ؋149
$23.85 £17.80
-90.36%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$13.44 £10.03
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$3.11 £2.32
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.49 £3.35
-
🚌 Getting Around
Jalalabad
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.14 ؋9.18
$4.13 £3.08
-96.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.89 ؋708
$266 £199
-95.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.75 ؋49.05
$5.98 £4.46
-87.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 ؋28.94
$3.39 £2.53
-86.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ؋98.0
$56.6 £42.21
-97.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ؋72.1
$2.21 £1.65
-49.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,475 ؋551.0K
$38.3K £28.6K
-77.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$41.0K £30.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$22.94 ؋1,492
$372 £278
-93.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$18.66 £13.93
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$229 ؋14.9K
$40.53 £30.26
464.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$7.63 ؋496
$56.0 £41.82
-86.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.60 ؋299
$17.10 £12.76
-73.10%
Cinema Ticket
$1.57 ؋102
$17.95 £13.40
-91.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$15.68 ؋1,019
$2,946 £2,199
-99.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,214 ؋78.9K
$47.6K £35.5K
-97.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.69 ؋1,215
$116 £86.8
-83.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.20 ؋988
$56.9 £42.47
-73.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$22.83 ؋1,484
$128 £95.5
-82.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.00 ؋2,015
$154 £115
-79.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jalalabad
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$117 ؋7,579
$2,935 £2,191
-96.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$46.03 ؋2,992
$2,258 £1,686
-97.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$229 ؋14.9K
$5,250 £3,919
-95.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$124 ؋8,070
$3,859 £2,881
-96.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$461 ؋30.0K
$17.2K £12.8K
-97.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$230 ؋14.9K
$8,278 £6,179
-97.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jalalabad
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$183 ؋11.9K
$5,621 £4,196
-96.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.88
4.78
190.38%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: November 1, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jalalabad
$252 *
London
$432 71.4% $180
Groceries & Markets
Jalalabad
$94
London
$360 282% $266
Accommodation & Living
Jalalabad
$46
London
$2.3K 4806% $2.2K
Eating Out
Jalalabad
$40 *
London
$396 898% $356
Clothing & Footwear
Jalalabad
$39
London
$205 419% $165
Getting Around
Jalalabad
$14
London
$305 2017% $291
Sport & Entertainment
Jalalabad
$11
London
$92 754% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $117 in Jalalabad versus $2,935 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 31 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad versus $109 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $94 vs $360 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇫 Jalalabad
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
23:45 11:45 PM
19:15 7:15 PM
4 h 30 min behind Jalalabad
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
168,600
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 65.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 73.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jalalabad London 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jalalabad
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Jalalabad and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $496 in Jalalabad, $4,048 in London – Jalalabad comes out roughly 88% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Jalalabad compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $745 per month in Jalalabad and $6,072 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Jalalabad and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $117 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 282% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad and $109 in London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $496, than in London at $4,048. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Jalalabad or London?
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.
How do I decide between Jalalabad and London?
If budget matters most, go with Jalalabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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