Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Herat

For one person, living is cheaper in Herat: $399 a month against $504 in Kabul, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Kabul despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Herat

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Herat

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

A single person spends $504 per month in Kabul vs $399 in Herat, rent included.

Kabul $504
Herat $399

A couple spends around $683 per month in Kabul vs $478 in Herat, rent included.

Kabul $683
Herat $478

A family of three spends $862 per month in Kabul vs $558 in Herat, rent included.

Kabul $862
Herat $558

Kabul costs about 26% more than Herat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kabul and Herat are more affordable than the global median – Kabul 63% lower, Herat 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.75 ؋503

$9.41 ؋611

-17.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ؋304

$3.75 ؋243

24.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

$1.52 ؋98.4

53.29%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

$7.87 ؋511

-75.98%

Cappuccino

$1.12 ؋72.4

$0.79 ؋51.5

41.77%

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

$0.48 ؋31.20

$0.44 ؋28.56

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ؋53.3

$0.61 ؋39.47

34.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.30

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ؋116

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$1.89 ؋123

-16.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋252

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 ؋434

$6.28 ؋408

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.40

$0.63 ؋41.15

7.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.7

$0.75 ؋48.82

12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ؋61.3

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.87

$0.64 ؋41.71

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.32

$0.30 ؋19.37

103.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.95

$0.32 ؋20.80

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.52

$0.30 ؋19.18

30.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

$0.47 ؋30.52

59.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

$3.17 ؋206

-23.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 ؋1,339

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ؋132

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 ؋178

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋70.1

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

$8,581 ؋557.2K

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

$33.9K ؋2.2M

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

$42.52 ؋2,761

$312 ؋20.3K

-86.39%

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

$13.17 ؋855

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.5 ؋6,201

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.01 ؋715

$15.41 ؋1,001

-28.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 ؋260

Cinema Ticket

$2.29 ؋149

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

$19.86 ؋1,290

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,052 ؋68.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.53 ؋684

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.26 ؋1,056

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ؋3,797

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.87 ؋1,615

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,934

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ؋7,172

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 ؋14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,433

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ؋43.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$355 ؋23.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋22.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Last update for Herat: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 30%

Herat

–

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$110 21.9%

Herat

–

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 19.9%

Herat

–

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.2%

Herat

–

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.8%

Herat

–

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.1%

Herat

–

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Herat

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul versus $9 in Herat. Groceries tell a different story – $101 in Kabul vs $48 in Herat – so Herat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇦🇫 Herat

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

Same time as Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

349,000

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Kabul Herat 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Herat

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 Herat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $757 per month in Kabul and $598 in Herat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Kabul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul and $9 in Herat. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $504 in Kabul and $399 in Herat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.