Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khost and Kabul

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.

20

Cost of Living Index in Khost
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Khost Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$406

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Khost and in Kabul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Khost and in Kabul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Khost $406
Kabul $504

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

Khost $598
Kabul $683

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

Khost $789
Kabul $862

Living in Khost costs roughly 20% less than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 ؋178

$2.70 ؋175

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.61 ؋495

$7.75 ؋503

-1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ؋295

$4.68 ؋304

-2.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ؋153

$2.33 ؋151

1.29%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ؋117

$1.89 ؋123

-4.23%

Cappuccino

$1.12 ؋72.5

$1.12 ؋72.4

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

$0.49 ؋31.50

$0.48 ؋31.21

2.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ؋10.08

$0.13 ؋8.66

23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 ؋55.9

$0.82 ؋53.3

4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.35

$0.25 ؋16.30

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 ؋117

$1.79 ؋116

1.12%

Eggs

$1.51 ؋97.8

$1.57 ؋102

-3.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.47 ؋290

$4.39 ؋285

1.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋262

$3.89 ؋252

3.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.85 ؋445

$6.68 ؋434

2.54%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.79

$0.68 ؋44.41

1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.2

$0.84 ؋54.7

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 ؋58.2

$0.94 ؋61.3

-4.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ؋35.20

$0.55 ؋35.88

-1.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 ؋39.26

$0.61 ؋39.33

-1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋33.05

$0.48 ؋30.96

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.69

$0.30 ؋19.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ؋25.90

$0.39 ؋25.53

2.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

$1.81 ؋117

3.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

$0.75 ؋48.45

5.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ؋67.6

$1.06 ؋68.7

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ؋31.04

$0.16 ؋10.14

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.66 ؋1,212

$20.62 ؋1,339

-9.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ؋48.85

$2.04 ؋132

-63.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.45

$0.48 ؋31.25

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ؋149

$2.75 ؋178

-16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ؋70.9

$1.08 ؋70.2

0.93%

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

$8,296 ؋538.8K

$8,581 ؋557.3K

-3.32%

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

$34.1K ؋2.2M

$33.9K ؋2.2M

0.50%

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

$42.62 ؋2,768

$42.52 ؋2,762

0.24%

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

$12.76 ؋829

$13.17 ؋855

-3.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.8 ؋6,224

$95.5 ؋6,203

0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.80 ؋507

$11.01 ؋715

-29.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.01 ؋390

$4.01 ؋260

49.88%

Cinema Ticket

$2.27 ؋148

$2.29 ؋149

-0.87%

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

$20.43 ؋1,327

$19.86 ؋1,290

2.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,054 ؋68.5K

$1,052 ؋68.3K

0.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋696

$10.53 ؋684

1.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.69 ؋1,019

$16.26 ؋1,056

-3.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.4 ؋3,796

$58.5 ؋3,799

-0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.17 ؋1,635

$24.87 ؋1,615

1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$30.85 ؋2,004

$122 ؋7,936

-74.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$15.63 ؋1,015

$110 ؋7,174

-85.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.5 ؋4,968

$220 ؋14.3K

-65.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.93 ؋3,048

$114 ؋7,435

-59.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ؋43.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$355 ؋23.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$188 ؋12.2K

$339 ؋22.0K

-44.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Khost: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khost

$151 37.3%

Kabul

$151 30% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Khost

$102 25.2%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 1.5% $1.6

Eating Out

Khost

$52 12.7%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 0.2% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Khost

$50 12.2%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Khost

$24 5.8%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 9.2% $2.2

Accommodation & Living

Khost

$16 3.9%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 607% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Khost

$12 3%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 26.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $31 in Khost and $122 in Kabul. 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 Khost vs $8 in Kabul. Groceries flip the comparison at $102 vs $101, with Kabul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Khost

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

Same time as Khost

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,987

3,289,000 Capital

💱 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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From you

Khost
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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

Khost vs Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Khost. 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: $31 in Khost versus $122 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $406 per month in Khost versus $504 in Kabul – 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.