Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Afghanistan

For one person, living is cheaper in Afghanistan: $555 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Spain
Afghanistan
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,775
/mo nomad
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
$555
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain 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 Spain and in Afghanistan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Spain vs $555 in Afghanistan, rent included.

  • Spain $1,775
  • Afghanistan $555

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Spain vs $745 in Afghanistan, rent included.

  • Spain $2,606
  • Afghanistan $745

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Spain vs $934 in Afghanistan, rent included.

  • Spain $3,438
  • Afghanistan $934

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($931–$2,610) than in Afghanistan ($24–$504), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Spain is about 220% higher than in Afghanistan on average.

Spain sits 30% above the global median, while Afghanistan is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €15.00
$2.25 ؋146
641.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.7 €50.0
$10.78 ؋700
416.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.37 €10.21
$3.76 ؋244
202.39%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.03 ؋132
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.61 ؋494
-
Cappuccino
$2.42 €2.17
$0.97 ؋62.8
149.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.41
$0.48 ؋31.23
458.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 €1.61
$0.17 ؋11.04
952.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.08
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 €3.48
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 €1.08
$0.81 ؋52.9
48.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.48 €1.33
$0.28 ؋18.33
428.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 €1.50
$1.85 ؋120
-9.73%
Eggs
$3.42 €3.07
$1.67 ؋109
104.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.17 €12.73
$4.69 ؋305
202.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.33 €7.48
$3.69 ؋239
125.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.20 €14.56
$6.44 ؋418
151.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.20
$0.68 ؋44.45
260.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.83
$1.01 ؋65.7
100.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 €1.87
$1.02 ؋66.2
103.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 €2.32
$0.58 ؋37.37
344.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.64
$0.55 ؋36.01
232.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.00 €1.80
$0.44 ؋28.35
354.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 €1.18
$0.36 ؋23.49
263.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.38 ؋24.46
102.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.90 ؋123
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.70 ؋45.21
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.02 ؋66.0
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.36 €5.72
$2.37 ؋154
168.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.07
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 €1.17
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 €1.87
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.64 €1.48
$0.32 ؋21.03
412.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.91 €29.57
$14.55 ؋945
126.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.43 €3.98
$1.42 ؋92.2
211.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.44 ؋28.82
234.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.98 €22.45
$1.72 ؋112
1352.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 €1.59
$1.11 ؋72.1
59.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.9K
$8,359 ؋542.8K
324.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K €27.5K
$34.8K ؋2.3M
-11.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 €134
$57.1 ؋3,709
161.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.67 €15.88
$13.94 ؋905
26.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.88 €28.64
$165 ؋10.7K
-80.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.24 €39.75
$10.77 ؋699
310.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.29 €13.74
$4.05 ؋263
277.53%
Cinema Ticket
$9.66 €8.68
$2.66 ؋173
263.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$544 €489
$20.34 ؋1,321
2575.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K €9,530
$1,292 ؋83.9K
720.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.9 €76.3
$13.49 ؋876
529.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.11 €33.35
$17.97 ؋1,167
106.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 €80.1
$43.87 ؋2,849
103.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 €95.0
$31.87 ؋2,070
231.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 €949
$117 ؋7,586
804.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$808 €726
$89.7 ؋5,827
800.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,621 €1,456
$202 ؋13.1K
701.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,246 €1,120
$113 ؋7,332
1003.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,135 €3,716
$664 ؋43.1K
522.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,633 €2,365
$347 ؋22.6K
657.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
Afghanistan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,999 €1,796
$261 ؋17.0K
665.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.3
18.22
-81.89%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for Afghanistan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Spain
$808
Afghanistan
$90 88.9% $718
Groceries & Markets
Spain
$272
Afghanistan
$102 62.5% $170
Eating Out
Spain
$239
Afghanistan
$43 81.8% $196
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
$199
Afghanistan
$236 18.6% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Spain
$143
Afghanistan
$48 66.2% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Spain
$64
Afghanistan
$16 74.7% $47
Getting Around
Spain
$51
Afghanistan
$19 62% $32

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $920 in Spain vs $89 in Afghanistan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,508 in Madrid and $122 in Kabul.

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $228 in Afghanistan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 934% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 418% more in Spain.

Public transport is 82% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are about 8.6 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Spain
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
🕒 Local time
09:47 9:47 AM
13:17 1:17 PM
3 h 30 min ahead of Spain
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
47,415,750
41,454,761
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.27 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Spain Afghanistan 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Spain
  • 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
Spain vs Afghanistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Afghanistan or Spain?
Afghanistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 69% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Afghanistan or in Spain?
Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $920 versus $89 in Afghanistan.
How do daily expenses compare in Afghanistan vs Spain?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Afghanistan, adding to the overall 220% price gap.
Which country is better for expats: Afghanistan or Spain?
Afghanistan is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Spain vs other spots: cost of living compared

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