Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kabul and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Kabul versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kabul $504
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $683 in Kabul versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kabul $683
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $862 in Kabul versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kabul $862
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kabul costs roughly 61% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kabul 63% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$4.47 ฿151

-39.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.75 ؋503

$32.41 ฿1,094

-76.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ؋304

$8.81 ฿297

-46.88%

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

$2.83 ฿95.5

-60.42%

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

$0.48 ؋31.20

$0.87 ฿29.43

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

$0.49 ฿16.67

-73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ؋53.3

$1.66 ฿56.0

-50.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.30

$1.46 ฿49.35

-82.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ؋116

$1.50 ฿50.6

19.33%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$2.09 ฿70.5

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$19.07 ฿644

-76.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋252

$3.30 ฿111

17.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 ؋434

$10.91 ฿368

-38.77%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.41

$2.93 ฿99.0

-76.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.7

$1.69 ฿57.1

-50.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ؋61.3

$2.25 ฿75.8

-58.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.88

$2.08 ฿70.1

-73.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.33

$1.51 ฿51.0

-59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.95

$1.38 ฿46.56

-65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.61

$1.07 ฿35.99

-71.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.52

$0.52 ฿17.52

-25.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

$4.20 ฿142

-42.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.14

$1.45 ฿49.03

-88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 ؋1,339

$56.7 ฿1,913

-63.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ؋132

$3.02 ฿102

-32.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.24

$1.02 ฿34.36

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 ؋178

$3.69 ฿125

-25.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋70.1

$1.47 ฿49.81

-26.53%

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

$8,581 ؋557.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-67.95%

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

$33.9K ؋2.2M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

27.12%

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

$42.52 ؋2,761

$96.4 ฿3,254

-55.87%

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

$13.17 ؋855

$11.26 ฿380

16.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.5 ؋6,201

$16.85 ฿569

466.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.01 ؋715

$67.2 ฿2,270

-83.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 ؋260

$10.73 ฿362

-62.63%

Cinema Ticket

$2.29 ؋149

$7.50 ฿253

-69.47%

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

$19.86 ؋1,290

$476 ฿16.1K

-95.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,052 ؋68.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-90.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.53 ؋684

$62.4 ฿2,106

-83.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.26 ؋1,056

$28.41 ฿959

-42.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ؋3,798

$94.3 ฿3,184

-37.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.87 ؋1,615

$85.8 ฿2,898

-71.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,935

$716 ฿24.2K

-82.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ؋7,173

$491 ฿16.6K

-77.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 ؋14.3K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-88.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,434

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-92.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ؋43.5K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-83.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$355 ؋23.0K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-88.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋22.0K

$502 ฿17.0K

-32.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 30%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 17.7% $27

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$110 21.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 344% $380

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 19.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 165% $166

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 136% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 146% $72

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 175% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 428% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Kabul and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 48% 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 in Kabul vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $266 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Phuket 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $504 in Kabul and $1,278 in Phuket, so Kabul is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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: $122 in Kabul versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 64% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $19.86 in Kabul versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Phuket. 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 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.