Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan

Name: Afghanistan
Address: AF

For one person, living is cheaper in Afghanistan: $555 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Afghanistan
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Afghanistan Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $555 in Afghanistan, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Afghanistan $555

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $745 in Afghanistan, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Afghanistan $745

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $934 in Afghanistan, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Afghanistan $934

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Afghanistan ($24–$504), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 344% higher than in Afghanistan on average.

The United Kingdom sits 81% above the global median, while Afghanistan is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$2.25 ؋146

854.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$10.78 ؋700

695.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$3.76 ؋244

182.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ؋132

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 ؋494

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$0.97 ؋62.8

406.19%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$0.48 ؋31.23

454.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.17 ؋11.04

1000.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.81 ؋52.9

107.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$0.28 ؋18.33

514.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.85 ؋120

17.30%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$1.67 ؋109

139.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$4.69 ؋305

100.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$3.69 ؋239

149.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$6.44 ؋418

129.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$0.68 ؋44.45

336.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.01 ؋65.7

60.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$1.02 ؋66.2

179.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$0.58 ؋37.37

506.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$0.55 ؋36.01

232.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$0.44 ؋28.35

265.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$0.36 ؋23.49

247.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.38 ؋24.46

336.84%

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)

$23.65 £17.77

$2.37 ؋154

897.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$0.32 ؋21.03

1143.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$14.55 ؋945

638.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$1.42 ؋92.2

264.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$0.44 ؋28.82

434.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$1.72 ؋112

1460.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.11 ؋72.1

79.28%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$8,359 ؋542.8K

371.92%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$34.8K ؋2.3M

16.46%

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

$327 £246

$57.1 ؋3,709

472.89%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$13.94 ؋905

30.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$165 ؋10.7K

-73.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

$10.77 ؋699

293.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

$4.05 ؋263

349.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

$2.66 ؋173

420.68%

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

$1,868 £1,404

$20.34 ؋1,321

9083.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$1,292 ؋83.9K

1651.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$13.49 ؋876

588.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

$17.97 ؋1,167

155.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$43.87 ؋2,849

131.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$31.87 ؋2,070

220.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$117 ؋7,586

1049.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$89.7 ؋5,827

1096.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$202 ؋13.1K

1003.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$113 ؋7,332

1442.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

$664 ؋43.1K

743.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$347 ؋22.6K

1127.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$261 ؋17.0K

1182.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

18.22

-70.80%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: 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

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Afghanistan

$90 16.2% 91.6% $984

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Afghanistan

$236 42.5% 39.4% $153

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Afghanistan

$43 7.8% 86.7% $284

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Afghanistan

$102 18.4% 66.8% $205

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Afghanistan

$48 8.7% 68.7% $106

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Afghanistan

$19 3.5% 86.1% $121

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Afghanistan

$16 2.9% 77% $54

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $89 in Afghanistan. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $122 in Kabul.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $228 in Afghanistan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1346% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 655% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 494% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

41,454,761

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Afghanistan 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Afghanistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Afghanistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 77% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $89 in Afghanistan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Afghanistan, adding to the overall 344% price gap.

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.