Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Name: Afghanistan
Address: AF

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $481 a month against $551 in Afghanistan, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. The total is higher in Afghanistan despite lower rent and utilities.

23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
Learn more

Pakistan Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Afghanistan
Learn more

Afghanistan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$481

/mo nomad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pakistan and in Afghanistan

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

A single person spends $481 per month in Pakistan vs $551 in Afghanistan, rent included.

Pakistan $481
Afghanistan $551

A couple spends around $719 per month in Pakistan vs $741 in Afghanistan, rent included.

Pakistan $719
Afghanistan $741

A family of three spends $956 per month in Pakistan vs $930 in Afghanistan, rent included.

Pakistan $956
Afghanistan $930

The cost of living in Pakistan is roughly 13% lower than in Afghanistan on average.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are more affordable than the global median – Pakistan 64% lower, Afghanistan 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.18 PKR 604

$2.35 ؋152

-7.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.87 PKR 3,838

$10.67 ؋691

29.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 PKR 1,487

$3.86 ؋250

39.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 PKR 610

$2.11 ؋137

4.74%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PKR 1,187

$7.74 ؋501

-44.57%

Cappuccino

$2.00 PKR 553

$1.02 ؋66.4

96.08%

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

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.45 ؋28.93

-13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$0.19 ؋12.01

21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 PKR 238

$0.79 ؋51.3

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 PKR 174

$0.28 ؋18.17

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 335

$1.94 ؋126

-37.63%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.59 ؋103

-23.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.35 PKR 1,480

$4.73 ؋306

13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 PKR 798

$3.85 ؋249

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 PKR 1,416

$6.72 ؋435

-23.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 PKR 333

$0.69 ؋44.50

73.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 PKR 180

$0.93 ؋60.0

-30.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.03 ؋66.5

-12.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$0.53 ؋34.53

1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 91.8

$0.55 ؋35.89

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 PKR 114

$0.41 ؋26.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 PKR 95.1

$0.40 ؋25.72

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 PKR 112

$0.34 ؋22.25

20.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.01 PKR 557

$1.82 ؋118

10.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 PKR 299

$0.74 ؋47.89

45.95%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 PKR 616

$1.02 ؋66.3

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 PKR 595

$2.29 ؋148

-6.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 53.8

$0.30 ؋19.34

-36.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.13 PKR 2,803

$14.43 ؋934

-29.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.49 ؋96.8

-40.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.48 ؋31.04

10.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 PKR 598

$1.73 ؋112

24.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 PKR 358

$1.11 ؋71.6

16.22%

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

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

$8,439 ؋546.5K

117.79%

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

$25.0K PKR 6.9M

$34.2K ؋2.2M

-26.86%

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

$110 PKR 30.5K

$57.5 ؋3,724

91.53%

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

$5.43 PKR 1,502

$13.64 ؋884

-60.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.97 PKR 4,421

$163 ؋10.6K

-90.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.19 PKR 4,758

$10.68 ؋692

60.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.36 PKR 3,144

$4.03 ؋261

181.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 PKR 1,213

$2.57 ؋166

70.43%

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

$45.75 PKR 12.7K

$20.21 ؋1,309

126.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,510 PKR 418.0K

$1,302 ؋84.3K

16.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.15 PKR 4,746

$13.25 ؋858

29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.18 PKR 6,691

$18.30 ؋1,185

32.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 PKR 21.3K

$43.65 ؋2,827

76.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.10 PKR 9,714

$32.51 ؋2,105

7.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 PKR 38.8K

$115 ؋7,464

21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.5 PKR 22.0K

$89.7 ؋5,810

-11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 PKR 87.1K

$196 ؋12.7K

60.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$111 ؋7,217

55.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 PKR 281.4K

$652 ؋42.2K

56.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$538 PKR 148.9K

$351 ؋22.7K

53.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$194 PKR 53.8K

$259 ؋16.8K

-25.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.1

18.22

-22.61%

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

Last update for Pakistan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Afghanistan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakistan

$132 27.7%

Afghanistan

$235 42.2% 78.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Pakistan

$95 19.9%

Afghanistan

$102 18.4% 8.2% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Pakistan

$79 16.7%

Afghanistan

$90 16.1% 12.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Pakistan

$69 14.5%

Afghanistan

$48 8.7% 29.8% $21

Eating Out

Pakistan

$60 12.6%

Afghanistan

$45 8.1% 24.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Pakistan

$26 5.5%

Afghanistan

$16 2.9% 39.1% $10

Getting Around

Pakistan

$14 3%

Afghanistan

$20 3.5% 35.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $123 in Pakistan vs $27.00 in Afghanistan. For reference, capital cities sit at $272 in Islamabad and $125 in Kabul.

Average salary: $182 in Pakistan vs $228 in Afghanistan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 356% higher in Pakistan.

Dining out costs 86% more in Pakistan.

Public transport is 80% more expensive in Pakistan.

Salaries are 25% higher in Afghanistan.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

30 min behind Pakistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,773,700

41,454,761

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pakistan Afghanistan 370 km

From you

Pakistan
Afghanistan

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

Pakistan vs Afghanistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 15% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Afghanistan costs about 15% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Afghanistan. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Pakistan, but in Afghanistan it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Pakistan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.