Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $537 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Delhi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kabul vs $537 in Delhi, rent included.

Kabul $488
Delhi $537

A couple spends around $664 per month in Kabul vs $908 in Delhi, rent included.

Kabul $664
Delhi $908

A family of three spends $839 per month in Kabul vs $1,279 in Delhi, rent included.

Kabul $839
Delhi $1,279

Kabul is about 9% cheaper than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kabul and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Kabul 64% lower, Delhi 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ؋184

$4.05 ₹380

-30.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.79 ؋506

$21.39 ₹2,009

-63.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ؋298

$3.86 ₹362

18.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.13 ؋73.3

$2.41 ₹227

-53.11%

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

$0.46 ؋29.80

$0.37 ₹34.78

24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ؋9.71

$0.16 ₹14.85

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ₹195

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹294

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.8

$0.71 ₹66.2

14.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.32

$0.58 ₹54.2

-56.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$0.76 ₹70.9

144.74%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$1.17 ₹110

34.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋286

$4.26 ₹400

3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋253

$3.34 ₹314

16.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋436

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.72

$2.03 ₹191

-66.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ؋55.6

$0.75 ₹70.1

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ؋62.2

$1.03 ₹96.5

-6.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.66

$0.53 ₹49.65

3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.21

$0.28 ₹25.92

132.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.75

$0.41 ₹38.94

14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.69

$0.41 ₹38.46

-26.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.17

$0.29 ₹26.94

34.48%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.0

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ؋157

$5.20 ₹488

-53.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₹808

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₹152

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 ₹242

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.70 ₹629

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.66

$0.44 ₹41.09

-70.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.09 ؋526

$13.29 ₹1,248

-39.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ؋136

$1.03 ₹96.8

103.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.24

$0.25 ₹23.54

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ؋171

$2.08 ₹196

26.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.9

$1.12 ₹105

-0.89%

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

$8,558 ؋556.4K

$11.5K ₹1.1M

-25.33%

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

$34.0K ؋2.2M

$19.2K ₹1.8M

76.74%

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

$42.10 ؋2,737

$39.54 ₹3,712

6.47%

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

$12.70 ؋826

$4.31 ₹405

194.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.2 ؋6,191

$6.66 ₹626

1329.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.29 ؋734

$26.46 ₹2,485

-57.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋267

$8.22 ₹772

-50.00%

Cinema Ticket

$2.33 ؋151

$5.36 ₹503

-56.53%

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

$20.27 ؋1,318

$104 ₹9,742

-80.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,131 ؋138.6K

$10.8K ₹1.0M

-80.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.78 ؋701

$24.48 ₹2,298

-55.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.98 ؋1,039

$28.28 ₹2,655

-43.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ؋3,728

$52.0 ₹4,885

10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.02 ؋1,627

$43.51 ₹4,086

-42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,139

$278 ₹26.1K

-54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ؋6,939

$165 ₹15.4K

-35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$821 ₹77.1K

-73.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 ؋7,519

$434 ₹40.7K

-73.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 ؋44.1K

$2,670 ₹250.7K

-74.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 ؋23.1K

$1,130 ₹106.1K

-68.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$344 ؋22.4K

$566 ₹53.1K

-39.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

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

Last update for Kabul: November 1, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$150 30.7%

Delhi

$51 9.4% 66.3% $100

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$107 21.9%

Delhi

$165 30.7% 54.2% $58

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 20.7%

Delhi

$109 20.2% 7.6% $7.6

Eating Out

Kabul

$52 10.7%

Delhi

$92 17.1% 75.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 10.1%

Delhi

$67 12.4% 35.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.3%

Delhi

$37 6.9% 133% $21

Getting Around

Kabul

$13 2.7%

Delhi

$17 3.2% 33.6% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Kabul versus $278 in Delhi. 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 64% higher in Delhi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul versus $21 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $109 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h ahead of Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 65.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 73.02 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Delhi 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $488 in Kabul, $537 in Delhi – Kabul comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kabul and $805 in Delhi. 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 $278 in Delhi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul and $21 in Delhi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $488 in Kabul and $537 in Delhi. That makes Kabul about 9% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $488 in Kabul and $537 in Delhi, 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.

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