Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $42,700 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
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kabul versus $4,048 in London.

Kabul $488
London $4,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $664 in Kabul versus $5,903 in London.

Kabul $664
London $5,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $839 in Kabul versus $7,758 in London.

Kabul $839
London $7,758

Living in Kabul costs roughly 88% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kabul is 64% below, London is 199% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ؋184

$26.36 £19.56

-89.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.79 ؋506

$109 £80.6

-92.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ؋298

$10.71 £7.95

-57.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋147

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.13 ؋73.2

$5.59 £4.14

-79.79%

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

$0.46 ؋29.77

$3.00 £2.23

-84.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ؋9.70

$2.22 £1.65

-93.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.13

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.8

$1.97 £1.46

-58.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.31

$2.09 £1.55

-88.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$2.59 £1.93

-28.19%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$5.37 £3.99

-70.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$13.12 £9.73

-66.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋253

$11.03 £8.18

-64.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋436

$17.73 £13.15

-62.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.68

$3.17 £2.35

-78.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ؋55.5

$1.38 £1.03

-38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ؋62.2

$2.82 £2.09

-65.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.64

$3.36 £2.50

-83.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.18

$1.70 £1.26

-61.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.73

$1.78 £1.32

-73.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.67

$1.49 £1.10

-79.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.15

$1.82 £1.35

-78.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋67.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ؋157

$23.85 £17.70

-89.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.33

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.65

$4.13 £3.07

-96.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.09 ؋525

$266 £197

-96.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ؋136

$5.98 £4.44

-64.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.22

$3.39 £2.51

-86.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ؋171

$56.6 £41.96

-95.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.8

$2.21 £1.64

-49.77%

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

$8,558 ؋556.0K

$38.3K £28.4K

-77.64%

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

$34.0K ؋2.2M

$41.0K £30.4K

-17.23%

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

$42.10 ؋2,735

$372 £276

-88.69%

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

$12.70 ؋825

$18.66 £13.84

-31.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.2 ؋6,187

$40.53 £30.07

134.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.29 ؋734

$56.0 £41.56

-79.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋267

$17.10 £12.69

-75.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.33 ؋151

$17.95 £13.32

-87.02%

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

$20.27 ؋1,317

$2,946 £2,186

-99.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,131 ؋138.5K

$47.6K £35.3K

-95.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.78 ؋700

$116 £86.3

-90.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.98 ؋1,038

$56.9 £42.22

-71.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ؋3,725

$128 £94.9

-55.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.02 ؋1,626

$154 £114

-83.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,133

$2,935 £2,178

-95.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ؋6,934

$2,258 £1,676

-95.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$5,250 £3,895

-95.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 ؋7,513

$3,859 £2,863

-97.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 ؋44.0K

$17.2K £12.8K

-96.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 ؋23.1K

$8,278 £6,142

-95.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$344 ؋22.4K

$5,621 £4,170

-93.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

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

Last update for Kabul: November 1, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$150 30.7%

London

$432 10.7% 188% $282

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$107 21.9%

London

$2.3K 55.8% 2016% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 20.7%

London

$360 8.9% 257% $259

Eating Out

Kabul

$52 10.7%

London

$396 9.8% 656% $343

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 10.1%

London

$205 5.1% 317% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.3%

London

$92 2.3% 476% $76

Getting Around

Kabul

$13 2.7%

London

$305 7.6% 2257% $292

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Kabul and $2,935 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $8 in Kabul vs $109 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $360 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

20:40 8:40 PM

4 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 64.97 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.93 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.833 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul London 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $488 in Kabul and $4,048 in London, so Kabul is about 88% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 94% lower in Kabul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $125 in Kabul versus $2,935 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 97% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $20 in Kabul versus $2,946 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $488 in Kabul versus $4,048 in London, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.