Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Austin, TX

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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
129

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

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Kabul $511
Austin, TX $2,704

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

Kabul $684
Austin, TX $4,133

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

Kabul $857
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Kabul costs roughly 81% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$20.22 $20.22

-86.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.89 ؋511

$85.0 $85.0

-90.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ؋292

$12.35 $12.35

-63.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$1.09 ؋70.5

$5.47 $5.47

-80.07%

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

$0.45 ؋28.95

$3.82 $3.82

-88.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋10.83

$2.50 $2.50

-93.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.4

$1.13 $1.13

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.23

$3.78 $3.78

-93.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$3.25 $3.25

-42.77%

Eggs

$1.54 ؋99.7

$4.14 $4.14

-62.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 ؋289

$13.08 $13.08

-65.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋261

$14.31 $14.31

-71.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋434

$15.96 $15.96

-57.96%

Apples (1kg)

$0.70 ؋45.11

$4.38 $4.38

-84.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ؋57.4

$1.45 $1.45

-38.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ؋61.5

$4.54 $4.54

-79.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.47

$4.19 $4.19

-86.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.34

$2.63 $2.63

-76.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.74

$2.36 $2.36

-78.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.48

$1.76 $1.76

-82.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ؋23.89

$2.16 $2.16

-82.87%

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)

$2.42 ؋157

$9.81 $9.81

-75.33%

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)

$0.13 ؋8.60

$1.49 $1.49

-91.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.08 ؋1,366

$40.51 $40.51

-47.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

$2.67 $2.67

-20.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.02

$1.58 $1.58

-71.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ؋179

$35.29 $35.29

-92.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋69.9

$0.99 $0.99

9.09%

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

$8,341 ؋540.2K

$35.8K $35.8K

-76.70%

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

$33.8K ؋2.2M

$27.2K $27.2K

24.26%

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

$42.09 ؋2,726

$219 $219

-80.80%

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

$13.12 ؋850

$58.0 $58.0

-77.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 ؋6,174

$68.4 $68.4

39.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ؋722

$57.9 $57.9

-80.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋266

$14.82 $14.82

-72.27%

Cinema Ticket

$2.34 ؋152

$14.13 $14.13

-83.44%

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

$20.64 ؋1,337

$1,509 $1,509

-98.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,045 ؋67.7K

$21.5K $21.5K

-95.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋694

$51.7 $51.7

-79.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ؋1,032

$44.05 $44.05

-63.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ؋3,741

$85.1 $85.1

-32.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.51 ؋1,652

$105 $105

-75.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,092

$1,932 $1,932

-93.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ؋7,043

$1,272 $1,272

-91.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$3,670 $3,670

-94.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,463

$2,525 $2,525

-95.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 ؋43.7K

$7,617 $7,617

-91.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 ؋23.5K

$3,199 $3,199

-88.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋21.9K

$5,105 $5,105

-93.36%

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 Kabul: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 29.9%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 130% $195

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$109 21.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 1070% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20.2%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 296% $301

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.1%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 588% $297

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 9.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 160% $79

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 119% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 444% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Kabul and $1,932 in Austin, TX. 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: $8.00 in Kabul vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $403 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

22:42 10:42 PM

9 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

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).

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

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Kabul
Austin, TX

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

Kabul vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 1406% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

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

All in, you'll spend $511 per month in Kabul versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – 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.