Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Jalalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Jalalabad

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $501 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Jalalabad $501

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $684 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Jalalabad $684

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $868 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Jalalabad $868

Sydney costs about 529% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Jalalabad is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.26 ؋146

677.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$7.56 ؋490

1110.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.80 ؋246

214.74%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$0.75 ؋48.49

442.67%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$0.88 ؋56.9

88.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$0.37 ؋23.66

651.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.89 ؋122

28.04%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.69 ؋110

233.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.53 ؋359

111.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$2.70 ؋175

257.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$6.20 ؋402

170.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$0.61 ؋39.26

567.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$0.65 ؋42.08

400.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$0.79 ؋51.1

335.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$0.48 ؋30.89

791.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.39 ؋25.38

741.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.30 ؋19.38

666.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.32 ؋21.06

618.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.30 ؋19.42

303.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.33 ؋151

1775.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.13 ؋8.72

2238.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.98 ؋712

1268.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.75 ؋48.74

350.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.44 ؋28.35

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.56 ؋101

2464.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.11 ؋71.9

26.13%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$8,453 ؋548.0K

244.51%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

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

$223 A$320

$23.42 ؋1,518

850.47%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$233 ؋15.1K

-76.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$7.62 ؋494

879.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.76 ؋308

403.99%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$1.56 ؋101

1025.64%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$15.22 ؋987

14328.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$1,222 ؋79.2K

2206.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$18.51 ؋1,200

323.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$15.27 ؋990

348.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$23.21 ؋1,505

379.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$30.36 ؋1,968

342.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$114 ؋7,396

2091.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$46.83 ؋3,036

3549.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$229 ؋14.9K

2056.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$123 ؋8,000

2348.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$468 ؋30.4K

2711.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$232 ؋15.1K

3504.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$183 ؋11.9K

2147.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

13.88

-57.93%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Jalalabad

$47 9.4% 97.3% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Jalalabad

$95 18.9% 75% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2% 16.1% $49

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7% 87.1% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 77.7% $137

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Jalalabad

$14 2.9% 91.7% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 90.2% $99

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $114 in Jalalabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2147% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $8.00 in Jalalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $95.0 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

6 h 30 min behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

168,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Jalalabad 11,320 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Jalalabad

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

Sydney vs Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $501 in Jalalabad – roughly 529% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $751 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 300% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $8.00 in Jalalabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jalalabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.