Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $32,100 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 Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $511 in Kabul.

Sydney $3,182
Kabul $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $684 in Kabul.

Sydney $4,696
Kabul $684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $857 in Kabul.

Sydney $6,210
Kabul $857

Living in Sydney is roughly 522% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Kabul is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$2.70 ؋175

554.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$7.89 ؋511

1130.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$4.51 ؋292

164.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$1.09 ؋70.5

266.97%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.45 ؋28.95

531.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.17 ؋10.83

1235.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$0.81 ؋52.4

104.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$0.25 ؋16.23

1016.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.86 ؋121

24.73%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.54 ؋99.7

259.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$4.46 ؋289

170.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$4.03 ؋261

144.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$6.71 ؋434

147.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$0.70 ؋45.11

474.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$0.89 ؋57.4

253.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$0.95 ؋61.5

268.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$0.55 ؋35.47

712.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.61 ؋39.34

444.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.51 ؋32.74

350.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.30 ؋19.48

680.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.37 ؋23.89

210.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ؋52.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋65.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$2.42 ؋157

1760.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.13 ؋8.60

2330.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$21.08 ؋1,366

611.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$2.12 ؋138

62.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.45 ؋29.02

262.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$2.77 ؋179

1343.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.08 ؋69.9

29.63%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$8,341 ؋540.2K

240.74%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$33.8K ؋2.2M

-12.92%

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

$220 A$315

$42.09 ؋2,726

422.43%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$13.12 ؋850

111.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$95.3 ؋6,174

-41.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$11.15 ؋722

566.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$4.11 ؋266

482.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$2.34 ؋152

657.69%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$20.64 ؋1,337

10349.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$1,045 ؋67.7K

2606.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$10.71 ؋694

632.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$15.93 ؋1,032

342.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$57.8 ؋3,741

92.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$25.51 ؋1,652

416.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$125 ؋8,092

1912.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$109 ؋7,043

1492.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$219 ؋14.2K

2134.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$115 ؋7,463

2537.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$675 ؋43.7K

1857.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$363 ؋23.5K

2133.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$339 ؋21.9K

1104.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Kabul

$109 21.6% 93.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Kabul

$102 20.2% 73.3% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Kabul

$151 29.9% 50.3% $153

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Kabul

$51 10.1% 83.1% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Kabul

$49 9.8% 72% $127

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Kabul

$26 5.2% 85.1% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Kabul

$16 3.2% 85.6% $94

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $125 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1105% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $8.00 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

6 h 30 min behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Kabul 11,430 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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

Sydney vs Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Kabul differ by about 522% in total monthly costs ($3,182 vs $511 including rent). Kabul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1105% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,514 in Sydney versus $125 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 611% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,157 in Sydney versus $20.64 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $511 in Kabul versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Kabul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 522% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.