Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $614 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kabul vs $614 in Cairo, rent included.

Kabul $488
Cairo $614

A couple spends around $664 per month in Kabul vs $974 in Cairo, rent included.

Kabul $664
Cairo $974

A family of three spends $839 per month in Kabul vs $1,333 in Cairo, rent included.

Kabul $839
Cairo $1,333

Kabul is about 21% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kabul and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Kabul 64% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ؋184

$4.61 E£249

-38.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.79 ؋506

$27.32 E£1,473

-71.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ؋298

$5.33 E£287

-13.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋147

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.13 ؋73.2

$1.64 E£88.3

-31.10%

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

$0.46 ؋29.77

$0.34 E£18.57

35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ؋9.70

$0.16 E£8.51

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£75.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 E£114

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.8

$0.85 E£45.80

-4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.31

$0.74 E£39.83

-66.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$0.65 E£35.06

186.15%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$1.15 E£62.0

36.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$3.84 E£207

14.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋253

$4.69 E£253

-17.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋436

$8.98 E£484

-25.28%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.68

$1.67 E£89.9

-58.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ؋55.5

$0.72 E£39.03

18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ؋62.2

$0.55 E£29.67

74.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.64

$0.52 E£27.87

5.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.18

$0.37 E£19.94

75.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.73

$0.39 E£21.25

20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.67

$0.30 E£16.14

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.15

$0.22 E£11.88

77.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋67.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ؋157

$1.87 E£101

29.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 E£396

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 E£79.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 E£104

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.65

$0.34 E£18.53

-61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.09 ؋525

$7.76 E£418

4.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ؋136

$0.38 E£20.23

452.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.22

$0.15 E£8.27

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ؋171

$0.55 E£29.70

378.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.8

$0.44 E£23.71

152.27%

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

$8,558 ؋556.0K

$31.8K E£1.7M

-73.07%

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

$34.0K ؋2.2M

$25.0K E£1.3M

35.68%

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

$42.10 ؋2,735

$25.45 E£1,372

65.42%

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

$12.70 ؋825

$7.67 E£413

65.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.2 ؋6,187

$14.55 E£784

554.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.29 ؋734

$27.17 E£1,464

-58.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋267

$7.25 E£391

-43.31%

Cinema Ticket

$2.33 ؋151

$4.35 E£234

-46.44%

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

$20.27 ؋1,317

$123 E£6,605

-83.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,131 ؋138.5K

$10.3K E£552.8K

-79.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.78 ؋700

$39.47 E£2,127

-72.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.98 ؋1,038

$49.07 E£2,645

-67.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ؋3,725

$113 E£6,105

-49.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.02 ؋1,626

$54.0 E£2,912

-53.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,133

$210 E£11.3K

-40.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ؋6,934

$186 E£10.0K

-42.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$465 E£25.0K

-52.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 ؋7,513

$306 E£16.5K

-62.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 ؋44.0K

$808 E£43.5K

-16.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 ؋23.1K

$491 E£26.5K

-27.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$344 ؋22.4K

$184 E£9,926

87.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.93

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

Last update for Kabul: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cairo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$150 30.7%

Cairo

$48 7.8% 68.2% $102

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$107 21.9%

Cairo

$186 30.2% 73.9% $79

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 20.7%

Cairo

$134 21.8% 32.8% $33

Eating Out

Kabul

$52 10.7%

Cairo

$86 14% 63.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 10.1%

Cairo

$115 18.7% 134% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.3%

Cairo

$36 5.8% 125% $20

Getting Around

Kabul

$13 2.7%

Cairo

$10 1.7% 20.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Kabul versus $210 in Cairo. 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 87% higher in Kabul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul versus $27 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $134 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

2 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 64.97 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 73.01 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 53.9 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kabul Cairo 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kabul and $922 in Cairo. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $210 in Cairo.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Cairo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul and $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $488 in Kabul and $614 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.