Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jalalabad and in Melbourne

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

A single person spends $501 per month in Jalalabad vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Jalalabad $501
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $684 per month in Jalalabad vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Jalalabad $684
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $868 per month in Jalalabad vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Jalalabad $868
Melbourne $5,650

Jalalabad is about 82% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jalalabad sits 63% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ؋146

$17.43 A$25.08

-87.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.56 ؋490

$84.6 A$122

-91.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ؋246

$12.46 A$17.92

-69.50%

Cappuccino

$0.75 ؋48.49

$4.11 A$5.91

-81.75%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 ؋56.9

$1.48 A$2.14

-40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ؋23.66

$2.94 A$4.23

-87.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 ؋122

$2.66 A$3.82

-28.95%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$5.54 A$7.97

-69.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ؋359

$10.51 A$15.13

-47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ؋175

$9.65 A$13.89

-72.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.20 ؋402

$15.22 A$21.91

-59.26%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.26

$3.99 A$5.75

-84.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.08

$3.02 A$4.34

-78.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 ؋51.1

$3.10 A$4.46

-74.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.89

$4.82 A$6.93

-90.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ؋25.38

$3.03 A$4.36

-87.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 ؋19.38

$2.44 A$3.52

-87.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ؋21.06

$2.46 A$3.54

-86.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.42

$1.63 A$2.34

-81.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 ؋151

$44.07 A$63.4

-94.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.72

$3.74 A$5.38

-96.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.98 ؋712

$138 A$198

-92.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ؋48.74

$4.51 A$6.50

-83.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.35

$1.36 A$1.96

-67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ؋101

$30.45 A$43.81

-94.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.9

$1.47 A$2.12

-24.49%

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

$8,453 ؋548.0K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-70.85%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

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

$23.42 ؋1,518

$234 A$336

-89.98%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$233 ؋15.1K

$55.7 A$80.2

318.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.62 ؋494

$49.40 A$71.1

-84.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.76 ؋308

$21.48 A$30.91

-77.84%

Cinema Ticket

$1.56 ؋101

$15.09 A$21.72

-89.66%

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

$15.22 ؋987

$2,371 A$3,412

-99.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,222 ؋79.2K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-95.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.51 ؋1,200

$80.0 A$115

-76.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.27 ؋990

$50.7 A$73.0

-69.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.21 ؋1,505

$121 A$174

-80.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.36 ؋1,968

$130 A$188

-76.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,396

$1,759 A$2,531

-93.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.83 ؋3,036

$1,390 A$2,000

-96.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ؋14.9K

$3,494 A$5,027

-93.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ؋8,000

$2,493 A$3,588

-95.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$468 ؋30.4K

$6,926 A$9,967

-93.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$6,445 A$9,274

-96.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 ؋11.9K

$4,383 A$6,307

-95.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

5.9

135.25%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 23.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$95 18.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 306% $289

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$47 9.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 2868% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 337% $132

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 718% $276

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$14 2.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1033% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 641% $69

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 $1,759 in Melbourne. 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 2295% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Jalalabad versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95.0 vs $384 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

15:46 3:46 PM

6 h 30 min ahead of Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jalalabad Melbourne 11,110 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Jalalabad
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $501 in Jalalabad, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 463% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $751 per month in Jalalabad and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 306% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Jalalabad and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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