Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $511 per month in Kabul vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Kabul $511
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $684 per month in Kabul vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Kabul $684
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $857 per month in Kabul vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Kabul $857
Budapest $3,489

Kabul is about 68% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kabul sits 62% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-80.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.89 ؋511

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-86.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ؋292

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-54.72%

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

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-67.75%

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

$0.45 ؋28.95

$2.13 Ft 693

-78.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋10.83

$1.87 Ft 609

-90.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.4

$1.13 Ft 369

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.23

$1.84 Ft 600

-86.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$2.39 Ft 777

-22.18%

Eggs

$1.54 ؋99.7

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-59.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 ؋289

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-60.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋261

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-40.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋434

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-54.32%

Apples (1kg)

$0.70 ؋45.11

$1.84 Ft 598

-61.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ؋57.4

$2.01 Ft 654

-55.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ؋61.5

$2.36 Ft 767

-59.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.47

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-85.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.34

$0.96 Ft 314

-36.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.74

$1.03 Ft 335

-50.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.48

$1.56 Ft 509

-80.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ؋23.89

$0.66 Ft 216

-43.94%

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

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-69.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.60

$1.50 Ft 490

-91.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.08 ؋1,366

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-23.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-35.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.02

$1.30 Ft 424

-65.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ؋179

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-86.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋69.9

$1.81 Ft 591

-40.33%

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

$8,341 ؋540.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-71.56%

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

$33.8K ؋2.2M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-0.99%

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

$42.09 ؋2,726

$170 Ft 55.3K

-75.23%

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

$13.12 ؋850

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-45.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 ؋6,174

$23.42 Ft 7,628

307.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ؋722

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-83.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋266

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-78.57%

Cinema Ticket

$2.34 ؋152

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-75.42%

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

$20.64 ؋1,337

$537 Ft 174.8K

-96.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,045 ؋67.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-93.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋694

$101 Ft 33.0K

-89.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ؋1,032

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-62.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ؋3,741

$113 Ft 36.7K

-48.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.51 ؋1,652

$119 Ft 38.7K

-78.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,092

$805 Ft 262.2K

-84.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ؋7,043

$629 Ft 204.9K

-82.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-85.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,463

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-90.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 ؋43.7K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-87.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 ؋23.5K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-90.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋21.9K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-79.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 29.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 44.4% $67

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$109 21.6%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 479% $520

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 154% $156

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 343% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 9.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 242% $120

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 67.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 439% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Kabul versus $805 in Budapest. 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 380% higher in Budapest, 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 Kabul versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $258 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

2 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kabul Budapest 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $767 per month in Kabul and $2,432 in Budapest. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Kabul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $20.64 per month in Kabul and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kabul, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kabul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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 Kabul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.