Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kabul vs. China Cost of Living Summary

Kabul is 14.1% cheaper than China overall.

Restaurants
pay 22.8% less in Kabul
Groceries
pay 45.4% less in Kabul
Transportation
pay 6.5% less in Kabul
Housing
pay 2.5 times more in Kabul
Childcare
pay 92.8% less in Kabul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.5% less in Kabul
Clothing
pay 58.7% less in Kabul

Expenses including childcare, clothing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in Kabul. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Kabul.

Kabul vs. China Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kabul instead of China, you would:

pay 22.8% less for restaurants

 
China
Kabul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.90
CN¥20.40
$2.66
AFN176
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.02
CN¥35.32
$4.43
AFN294
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.47
CN¥3.34
$0.36
AFN24

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pay 45.4% less for groceries

 
China
Kabul
Bread
1 loaf
$1.63
CN¥11.46
$0.21
AFN14
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.32
CN¥44.49
$1.93
AFN128
Milk (1 gallon) $6.70
CN¥47.21
$2.94
AFN195

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pay 6.5% less for transportation

 
China
Kabul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.34
CN¥30.53
$3.72
AFN247
Monthly public transit pass $20.32
CN¥143.09
$10.34
AFN685
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,143.98
CN¥134,794.71
$8,122.57
AFN538,245

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pay 2.5 times more for housing

 
China
Kabul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.18
CN¥78.70
$93.04
AFN6,165
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $304.90
CN¥2,146.80
$87.13
AFN5,774
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $195.65
CN¥1,377.56
$59.07
AFN3,915

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pay 92.8% less for childcare

 
China
Kabul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $390.25
CN¥2,747.78
$18.90
AFN1,253
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $15,493.57
CN¥109,091.78
$1,476.83
AFN97,863

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pay 19.5% less for entertainment and sports

 
China
Kabul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.04
CN¥7.33
$2.36
AFN157
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.84
CN¥19.97
$1.06
AFN70
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.36
CN¥23.65
$2.66
AFN176

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pay 58.7% less for clothing

 
China
Kabul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.93
CN¥323.38
$9.60
AFN636
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$30.93
CN¥217.79
$17.72
AFN1,174
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$71.26
CN¥501.74
$33.97
AFN2,251

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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