Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Khost

For one person, living is cheaper in Khost: $406 a month against $504 in Kabul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Khost
Learn more

Khost Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Khost

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Kabul versus $406 in Khost.

Kabul $504
Khost $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $683 in Kabul versus $598 in Khost.

Kabul $683
Khost $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $862 in Kabul versus $789 in Khost.

Kabul $862
Khost $789

Living in Kabul is roughly 24% more expensive than in Khost, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kabul 63% lower, Khost 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$2.75 ؋178

-1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.75 ؋503

$7.61 ؋494

1.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ؋304

$4.55 ؋295

2.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

$2.36 ؋153

-1.27%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

$1.81 ؋117

4.42%

Cappuccino

$1.12 ؋72.4

$1.12 ؋72.5

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

$0.48 ؋31.20

$0.49 ؋31.50

-2.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

$0.16 ؋10.08

-18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ؋53.3

$0.86 ؋55.9

-4.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.30

$0.25 ؋16.35

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ؋116

$1.81 ؋117

-1.10%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$1.51 ؋97.8

3.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$4.47 ؋290

-1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋252

$4.03 ؋262

-3.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 ؋434

$6.85 ؋445

-2.48%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.41

$0.69 ؋44.78

-1.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.7

$0.84 ؋54.2

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ؋61.3

$0.90 ؋58.2

4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.88

$0.54 ؋35.20

1.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.33

$0.60 ؋39.25

1.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.95

$0.51 ؋33.04

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.61

$0.30 ؋19.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.52

$0.40 ؋25.89

-2.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

$1.87 ؋121

-3.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

$0.79 ؋51.4

-5.06%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

$1.04 ؋67.6

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.14

$0.48 ؋31.04

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 ؋1,339

$18.66 ؋1,212

10.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ؋132

$0.75 ؋48.84

172.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.24

$0.44 ؋28.44

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 ؋178

$2.29 ؋149

20.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋70.1

$1.09 ؋70.9

-0.92%

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

$8,581 ؋557.2K

$8,296 ؋538.7K

3.43%

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

$33.9K ؋2.2M

$34.1K ؋2.2M

-0.50%

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

$42.52 ؋2,761

$42.62 ؋2,768

-0.23%

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

$13.17 ؋855

$12.76 ؋829

3.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.5 ؋6,201

$95.8 ؋6,223

-0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.01 ؋715

$7.80 ؋507

41.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 ؋260

$6.01 ؋390

-33.28%

Cinema Ticket

$2.29 ؋149

$2.27 ؋148

0.88%

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

$19.86 ؋1,290

$20.43 ؋1,327

-2.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,052 ؋68.3K

$1,054 ؋68.5K

-0.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.53 ؋684

$10.71 ؋696

-1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.26 ؋1,056

$15.69 ؋1,019

3.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ؋3,798

$58.4 ؋3,795

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.87 ؋1,615

$25.17 ؋1,635

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,935

$30.85 ؋2,003

296.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ؋7,173

$15.63 ؋1,015

606.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 ؋14.3K

$76.5 ؋4,967

188.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,434

$46.93 ؋3,048

143.92%

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

$188 ؋12.2K

80.85%

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 Khost: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 30%

Khost

$151 37.3% 0% $0

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$110 21.9%

Khost

$16 3.9% 85.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 19.9%

Khost

$102 25.2% 1.6% $1.6

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.2%

Khost

$52 12.7% 0.2% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.8%

Khost

$50 12.2% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.1%

Khost

$24 5.8% 8.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Khost

$12 3% 20.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Kabul and $31 in Khost. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kabul pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $8 in Kabul vs $8 in Khost for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇦🇫 Khost

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

Same time as Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

11,987

💱 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

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Khost 150 km

From you

Kabul
Khost

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 Khost: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabul and Khost differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($504 vs $406 including rent). Khost is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Kabul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $122 in Kabul versus $31 in Khost. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $19.86 in Kabul versus $20 in Khost. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $504 per month in Kabul versus $406 in Khost – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Khost gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Khost wins on affordability, Kabul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.