Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $511 per month in Kabul vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kabul $511
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $684 per month in Kabul vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kabul $684
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $857 per month in Kabul vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kabul $857
Cape Town $3,307

Kabul is about 67% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kabul sits 62% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$11.78 R 195

-77.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.89 ؋511

$46.55 R 772

-83.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ؋292

$5.96 R 98.9

-24.33%

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

$2.47 R 41.01

-55.87%

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

$0.45 ؋28.95

$1.33 R 22.03

-66.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋10.83

$1.03 R 17.08

-83.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.4

$1.39 R 23.08

-41.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.23

$1.19 R 19.70

-78.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$2.11 R 35.02

-11.85%

Eggs

$1.54 ؋99.7

$3.01 R 49.84

-48.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 ؋289

$8.96 R 149

-50.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋261

$6.65 R 110

-39.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋434

$9.29 R 154

-27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$0.70 ؋45.11

$1.83 R 30.28

-61.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ؋57.4

$1.90 R 31.47

-53.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ؋61.5

$1.75 R 28.98

-45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.47

$2.09 R 34.59

-73.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.34

$1.55 R 25.78

-60.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.74

$1.49 R 24.65

-65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.48

$1.30 R 21.53

-76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ؋23.89

$1.16 R 19.29

-68.10%

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

$3.71 R 61.5

-34.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.60

$1.51 R 25.11

-91.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.08 ؋1,366

$61.0 R 1,011

-65.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

$0.63 R 10.38

236.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.02

$1.53 R 25.42

-70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ؋179

$4.81 R 79.8

-42.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋69.9

$1.58 R 26.22

-31.65%

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

$8,341 ؋540.2K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-76.50%

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

$33.8K ؋2.2M

$31.7K R 526.6K

6.36%

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

$42.09 ؋2,726

$116 R 1,930

-63.83%

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

$13.12 ؋850

$28.37 R 471

-53.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 ؋6,174

$40.69 R 675

134.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ؋722

$48.85 R 810

-77.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋266

$11.13 R 185

-63.07%

Cinema Ticket

$2.34 ؋152

$8.83 R 146

-73.50%

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

$20.64 ؋1,337

$261 R 4,336

-92.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,045 ؋67.7K

$6,702 R 111.2K

-84.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋694

$55.4 R 919

-80.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ؋1,032

$32.27 R 535

-50.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ؋3,741

$118 R 1,949

-50.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.51 ؋1,652

$107 R 1,775

-76.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,092

$1,015 R 16.8K

-87.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ؋7,043

$715 R 11.9K

-84.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$1,801 R 29.9K

-87.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,463

$1,330 R 22.1K

-91.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 ؋43.7K

$2,331 R 38.7K

-71.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 ؋23.5K

$1,513 R 25.1K

-75.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋21.9K

$1,636 R 27.1K

-79.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 29.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 23.2% $35

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$109 21.6%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 558% $607

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 119% $121

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 243% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 9.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 184% $91

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 190% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 320% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Kabul versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 383% higher in Cape Town, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $222 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

2 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Cape Town 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 207% more than Kabul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $767 per month in Kabul and $2,352 in Cape Town. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $511 in Kabul and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 207%.

Public transport costs about 189% less in Kabul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kabul, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Kabul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kabul costs $511 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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