Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and Afghanistan

For one person, living is cheaper in Afghanistan: $555 a month against $1,212 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Turkey
Afghanistan
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,212
/mo nomad
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
$555
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,212 per month in Turkey vs $555 in Afghanistan, rent included.

  • Turkey $1,212
  • Afghanistan $555

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Turkey vs $745 in Afghanistan, rent included.

  • Turkey $1,844
  • Afghanistan $745

A family of three spends $2,475 per month in Turkey vs $934 in Afghanistan, rent included.

  • Turkey $2,475
  • Afghanistan $934

The regional cost range is wider in Turkey ($656–$1,765) than in Afghanistan ($24–$504), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Turkey is about 118% higher than in Afghanistan on average.

Both Turkey and Afghanistan are more affordable than the global median – Turkey 11% lower, Afghanistan 59% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.14 ₺455
$2.25 ؋146
306.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.12 ₺1,999
$10.78 ؋700
272.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.91 ₺444
$3.76 ؋244
136.97%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.03 ؋132
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.61 ؋494
-
Cappuccino
$3.75 ₺187
$0.97 ؋62.8
286.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 ₺73.3
$0.48 ؋31.23
206.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.65
$0.17 ؋11.04
229.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ₺191
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91 ₺245
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 ₺51.1
$0.81 ؋52.9
25.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 ₺49.91
$0.28 ؋18.33
257.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺110
$1.85 ؋120
18.92%
Eggs
$2.21 ₺110
$1.67 ؋109
32.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 ₺484
$4.69 ؋305
107.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 ₺242
$3.69 ؋239
31.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.09 ₺1,001
$6.44 ؋418
211.96%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺92.4
$0.68 ؋44.45
173.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 ₺98.9
$1.01 ؋65.7
96.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.06 ₺53.1
$1.02 ؋66.2
3.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 ₺67.8
$0.58 ؋37.37
134.48%
Potato (1kg)
$0.54 ₺26.85
$0.55 ؋36.01
-1.82%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 ₺22.30
$0.44 ؋28.35
2.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 ₺49.59
$0.36 ؋23.49
177.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₺34.22
$0.38 ؋24.46
81.58%
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)
$2.26 ₺113
$2.37 ؋154
-4.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.91 ₺593
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 ₺112
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₺142
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 ₺38.00
$0.32 ؋21.03
137.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.49 ₺1,968
$14.55 ؋945
171.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ₺70.9
$1.42 ؋92.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺41.64
$0.44 ؋28.82
90.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.98 ₺398
$1.72 ؋112
363.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₺68.8
$1.11 ؋72.1
24.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.6K ₺2.1M
$8,359 ؋542.8K
398.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K ₺2.0M
$34.8K ؋2.3M
16.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.0 ₺3,735
$57.1 ؋3,709
31.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.38 ₺517
$13.94 ؋905
-25.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.56 ₺775
$165 ؋10.7K
-90.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.2 ₺2,752
$10.77 ؋699
412.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.01 ₺1,047
$4.05 ؋263
418.77%
Cinema Ticket
$6.87 ₺342
$2.66 ؋173
158.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$680 ₺33.9K
$20.34 ؋1,321
3244.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ₺792.2K
$1,292 ؋83.9K
1130.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7 ₺2,723
$13.49 ؋876
305.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.98 ₺2,141
$17.97 ؋1,167
139.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 ₺5,072
$43.87 ؋2,849
132.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.9 ₺4,676
$31.87 ؋2,070
194.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$614 ₺30.6K
$117 ؋7,586
425.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 ₺22.0K
$89.7 ؋5,827
391.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 ₺50.4K
$202 ؋13.1K
399.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 ₺35.0K
$113 ؋7,332
522.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,710 ₺85.2K
$664 ؋43.1K
157.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,115 ₺55.6K
$347 ؋22.6K
220.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Turkey
Afghanistan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,061 ₺52.8K
$261 ؋17.0K
306.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.67
18.22
128.70%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Last update for Afghanistan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Turkey
$441
Afghanistan
$90 79.6% $351
Groceries & Markets
Turkey
$239
Afghanistan
$102 57.4% $137
Eating Out
Turkey
$182
Afghanistan
$43 76.1% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
$132
Afghanistan
$48 63.5% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
$101
Afghanistan
$236 134% $135
Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
$69
Afghanistan
$16 76.7% $53
Getting Around
Turkey
$48
Afghanistan
$19 59.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $446 in Turkey vs $89 in Afghanistan. For reference, capital cities sit at $765 in Ankara and $122 in Kabul.

Average salary: $1,034 in Turkey vs $228 in Afghanistan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 401% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 209% more in Turkey.

Public transport is 94% more expensive in Turkey.

Salaries are about 4.5 times higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Turkey
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
🕒 Local time
11:47 11:47 AM
13:17 1:17 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Turkey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
85,372,377
41,454,761
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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
  • Turkey Afghanistan 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Turkey
  • 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
Turkey vs Afghanistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Afghanistan or Turkey?
Afghanistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 54% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Afghanistan or in Turkey?
Housing costs more in Turkey: a central one-bedroom averages $446 versus $89 in Afghanistan.
How do daily expenses compare in Afghanistan vs Turkey?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Afghanistan, adding to the overall 118% price gap.
Can you live in both Afghanistan and Turkey on $800 per month?
$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Afghanistan, but in Turkey it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Which country is better for expats: Afghanistan or Turkey?
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.

Turkey vs other spots: cost of living compared

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