Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $292 a month against $510 in Kabul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$510

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $510 in Kabul versus $292 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Kabul $510
Mazar-i-Sharif $292

Estimated couple costs with rent: $690 in Kabul versus $461 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Kabul $690
Mazar-i-Sharif $461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $870 in Kabul versus $630 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Kabul $870
Mazar-i-Sharif $630

Living in Kabul is roughly 74% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kabul 62% lower, Mazar-i-Sharif 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ؋179

$2.38 ؋154

15.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.82 ؋507

$15.47 ؋1,003

-49.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 ؋299

$4.01 ؋260

14.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ؋153

$7.54 ؋489

-68.70%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋122

$7.50 ؋486

-74.80%

Cappuccino

$1.09 ؋70.7

$1.23 ؋79.8

-11.38%

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

$0.49 ؋31.84

$0.57 ؋36.96

-14.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ؋10.07

$0.30 ؋19.28

-46.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 ؋53.6

$0.65 ؋42.20

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.31

$0.15 ؋9.99

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ؋122

$2.10 ؋136

-10.48%

Eggs

$1.60 ؋104

$1.65 ؋107

-3.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋284

$7.49 ؋486

-41.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 ؋258

$3.30 ؋214

20.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ؋437

$6.09 ؋395

10.67%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.03

$0.59 ؋38.30

15.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 ؋56.3

$1.13 ؋73.5

-23.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ؋63.2

$0.82 ؋53.2

19.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.89

$0.61 ؋39.27

-16.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ؋41.60

$0.47 ؋30.46

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋31.05

$0.38 ؋24.88

26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 ؋18.05

$0.56 ؋36.54

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.57

$0.32 ؋20.97

21.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

$1.86 ؋121

-2.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ؋65.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 ؋159

$1.57 ؋102

56.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.62

$0.81 ؋52.2

-80.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.01 ؋1,362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 ؋31.84

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 ؋180

$1.52 ؋98.7

82.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.7

$1.53 ؋99.4

-27.45%

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

$8,556 ؋554.7K

$9,927 ؋643.5K

-13.81%

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

$34.9K ؋2.3M

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

$43.40 ؋2,814

$83.3 ؋5,399

-47.89%

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

$12.80 ؋830

$16.98 ؋1,101

-24.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.4 ؋6,313

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.11 ؋720

$11.53 ؋747

-3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 ؋268

$3.87 ؋251

6.72%

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 ؋155

$4.68 ؋304

-48.93%

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

$20.71 ؋1,342

$76.6 ؋4,967

-72.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,075 ؋69.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.58 ؋686

$12.93 ؋838

-18.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 ؋1,063

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ؋3,766

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.16 ؋1,631

$18.48 ؋1,198

36.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ؋7,969

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ؋7,208

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$221 ؋14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,432

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$688 ؋44.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$357 ؋23.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ؋22.1K

$235 ؋15.2K

45.09%

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

Last update for Kabul: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$154 30.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$100 * 34.3% 34.7% $53

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$111 21.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$105 35.8% 2.8% $2.9

Eating Out

Kabul

$52 10.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$49 16.9% 4.5% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.8% 71.5% $35

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 87.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 31.5% $5

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

Cost Breakdown

Kabul pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $8.00 in Kabul vs $15.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $105 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

300,600

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kabul Mazar-i-Sharif 310 km

From you

Kabul
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($510 vs $292 including rent). Mazar-i-Sharif is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Kabul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $20.71 in Kabul versus $76.6 in Mazar-i-Sharif. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $8.00 in Kabul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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 Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Kabul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.