Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $511 per month in Kabul vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kabul $511
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $684 per month in Kabul vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kabul $684
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $857 per month in Kabul vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kabul $857
Istanbul $3,272

Kabul is about 66% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kabul sits 62% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$11.88 ₺585

-77.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.89 ؋511

$55.1 ₺2,714

-85.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ؋292

$9.14 ₺450

-50.66%

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

$4.24 ₺209

-74.29%

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

$0.45 ؋28.95

$1.75 ₺86.0

-74.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋10.83

$0.54 ₺26.83

-68.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.4

$1.26 ₺62.1

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.23

$0.95 ₺46.81

-73.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$2.31 ₺114

-19.48%

Eggs

$1.54 ؋99.7

$2.47 ₺122

-37.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 ؋289

$10.55 ₺520

-57.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋261

$5.60 ₺276

-28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋434

$21.21 ₺1,045

-68.36%

Apples (1kg)

$0.70 ؋45.11

$1.93 ₺95.1

-63.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ؋57.4

$2.29 ₺113

-61.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ؋61.5

$1.28 ₺63.1

-25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.47

$1.84 ₺90.8

-70.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.34

$0.67 ₺32.86

-8.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.74

$0.59 ₺29.31

-13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.48

$1.33 ₺65.4

-77.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ؋23.89

$0.59 ₺29.10

-37.29%

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

$2.36 ₺116

2.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.60

$0.83 ₺40.64

-84.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.08 ؋1,366

$66.5 ₺3,273

-68.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

$1.35 ₺66.6

57.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.02

$0.85 ₺42.05

-47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ؋179

$10.86 ₺535

-74.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋69.9

$1.47 ₺72.3

-26.53%

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

$8,341 ؋540.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-83.84%

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

$33.8K ؋2.2M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-24.02%

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

$42.09 ؋2,726

$89.2 ₺4,395

-52.82%

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

$13.12 ؋850

$11.60 ₺572

13.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 ؋6,174

$16.10 ₺793

492.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ؋722

$77.3 ₺3,805

-85.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋266

$22.66 ₺1,116

-81.86%

Cinema Ticket

$2.34 ؋152

$8.34 ₺411

-71.94%

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

$20.64 ؋1,337

$974 ₺48.0K

-97.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,045 ؋67.7K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-95.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋694

$52.7 ₺2,597

-79.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ؋1,032

$39.16 ₺1,929

-59.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ؋3,741

$103 ₺5,083

-44.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.51 ؋1,652

$96.6 ₺4,759

-73.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,092

$994 ₺49.0K

-87.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ؋7,043

$629 ₺31.0K

-82.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-89.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,463

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-90.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 ؋43.7K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-78.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 ؋23.5K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-80.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋21.9K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-71.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 29.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 22.3% $34

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$109 21.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 479% $521

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 160% $162

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 331% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 9.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 165% $82

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 190% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 493% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Kabul versus $994 in Istanbul. 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 255% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $264 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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 = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kabul Istanbul 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 198%, 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 $2,289 in Istanbul. 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.

Kindergarten costs $20.64 per month in Kabul and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 160% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kabul, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Kabul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul 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, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.