Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Jalalabad

For one person, living costs are similar in Kabul and in Jalalabad: $504 and $498 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index

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Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Jalalabad

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

A single person spends $504 per month in Kabul vs $498 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Kabul $504
Jalalabad $498

A couple spends around $683 per month in Kabul vs $682 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Kabul $683
Jalalabad $682

A family of three spends $862 per month in Kabul vs $866 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Kabul $862
Jalalabad $866

Kabul and Jalalabad have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$2.28 ؋148

18.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.75 ؋503

$7.83 ؋508

-1.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ؋304

$3.88 ؋252

20.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.12 ؋72.4

$0.76 ؋49.16

47.37%

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

$0.48 ؋31.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ؋53.3

$0.89 ؋57.6

-7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.29

$0.40 ؋25.78

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ؋116

$1.88 ؋122

-4.79%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$1.69 ؋110

-7.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$5.49 ؋356

-20.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋252

$2.73 ؋177

42.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 ؋433

$6.03 ؋392

10.78%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.38

$0.65 ؋42.24

4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.7

$0.60 ؋39.06

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ؋61.2

$0.74 ؋48.14

27.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.86

$0.47 ؋30.53

17.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.30

$0.36 ؋23.57

69.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.93

$0.29 ؋19.13

65.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.60

$0.33 ؋21.12

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.51

$0.30 ؋19.45

30.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

$3.92 ؋255

-53.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.41

$0.79 ؋51.3

-5.06%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

$1.05 ؋68.1

0.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

$2.29 ؋149

6.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.13

$0.15 ؋9.65

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 ؋1,338

$10.80 ؋701

90.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ؋132

$0.74 ؋48.18

175.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.22

$0.48 ؋30.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 ؋178

$1.51 ؋97.8

82.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋70.1

$1.05 ؋68.3

2.86%

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

$8,581 ؋556.9K

$8,330 ؋540.6K

3.02%

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 ؋2,760

$22.69 ؋1,472

87.40%

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

$13.17 ؋855

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.5 ؋6,198

$231 ؋15.0K

-58.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.01 ؋714

$7.84 ؋509

40.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 ؋260

$4.57 ؋296

-12.25%

Cinema Ticket

$2.29 ؋149

$1.55 ؋101

47.74%

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

$19.86 ؋1,289

$15.18 ؋985

30.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,052 ؋68.2K

$1,212 ؋78.7K

-13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.53 ؋684

$18.45 ؋1,197

-42.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.26 ؋1,055

$15.17 ؋985

7.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ؋3,796

$23.51 ؋1,526

148.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.87 ؋1,614

$30.62 ؋1,987

-18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,930

$114 ؋7,424

6.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ؋7,169

$45.97 ؋2,984

140.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 ؋14.3K

$232 ؋15.0K

-4.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,430

$122 ؋7,933

-6.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ؋43.4K

$466 ؋30.3K

43.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$355 ؋23.0K

$232 ؋15.1K

52.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋22.0K

$185 ؋12.0K

82.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

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

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 30%

Jalalabad

$254 * 51% 67.7% $102

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$110 21.9%

Jalalabad

$46 9.2% 58.4% $64

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 19.9%

Jalalabad

$94 18.9% 6.4% $6.4

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.2%

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8% 24.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.8%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 20.3% $10

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.1%

Jalalabad

$15 2.9% 43.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 29.8% $4.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $122 in Kabul versus $114 in Jalalabad. 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 83% higher in Kabul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Kabul versus $8 in Jalalabad. Groceries tell a different story – $101 in Kabul vs $94 in Jalalabad – so Jalalabad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

Same time as Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

168,600

💱 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

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Kabul Jalalabad 120 km

From you

Kabul
Jalalabad

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 Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $757 per month in Kabul and $746 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $122 in Kabul and $114 in Jalalabad. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $19.86 per month in Kabul and $15.18 in Jalalabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Kabul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $504 in Kabul and $498 in Jalalabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – 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 Jalalabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kabul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.