Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kabul vs. Islamabad Cost of Living Summary

Kabul is 14.0% cheaper than Islamabad.

Restaurants: pay 15.6% less in Kabul
Groceries: pay 16.3% less in Kabul
Transportation: pay 8.1% more in Kabul
Housing: pay 64.9% more in Kabul
Childcare: pay 63.1% less in Kabul
Entertainment and Sports: pay 30.2% less in Kabul
Clothing: pay 45.8% less in Kabul

The cost of housing and transportation in Kabul are more expensive than in Islamabad. Expenses including childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Kabul.

Kabul vs. Islamabad Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 15.6% less for restaurants

	Islamabad	Kabul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.83 PKR797.05	$2.66 AFN176	-6.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.95 PKR1,394.83	$4.43 AFN293	-10.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.38 PKR108.41	$0.36 AFN24	-7.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.24 PKR67.84	$0.15 AFN10	-38.7%
Average			-15.6%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of restaurants

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pay 16.3% less for groceries

	Islamabad	Kabul
Bread 1 loaf	$0.67 PKR188.43	$0.21 AFN14	-68.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.36 PKR945.25	$1.93 AFN128	-42.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.75 PKR1,056.00	$2.94 AFN194	-21.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.23 PKR345.60	$1.43 AFN94	+16.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.48 PKR415.61	$1.57 AFN104	+6.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.49 PKR138.31	$0.25 AFN17	-48.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.37 PKR104.33	$0.36 AFN24	-2.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.40 PKR113.19	$0.33 AFN22	-16.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.24 PKR67.15	$0.21 AFN14	-12.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.17 PKR48.67	$0.21 AFN14	+24.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.24 PKR66.89	$0.20 AFN13	-14.2%
Average			-16.3%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of groceries

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pay 8.1% more for transportation

	Islamabad	Kabul
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.56 PKR1,003.00	$3.72 AFN246	+4.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$9.37 PKR2,640.22	$10.34 AFN683	+10.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,219.01 PKR5,977,857.69	$8,122.57 AFN537,000	-61.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.28 PKR1,205.53	$7.68 AFN508	+79.5%
Average			+8.1%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of transportation

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pay 64.9% more for housing

	Islamabad	Kabul
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$18.04 PKR5,081.18	$93.04 AFN6,151	+415.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$204.95 PKR57,738.51	$87.13 AFN5,761	-57.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$111.30 PKR31,356.08	$59.07 AFN3,905	-46.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$81.95 PKR23,085.99	$39.53 AFN2,613	-51.8%
Average			+64.9%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of housing

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pay 63.1% less for childcare

	Islamabad	Kabul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$60.67 PKR17,092.94	$18.90 AFN1,250	-68.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,476.38 PKR979,372.35	$1,476.83 AFN97,636	-57.5%
Average			-63.1%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of childcare

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pay 30.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Islamabad	Kabul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.01 PKR846.86	$2.36 AFN156	-21.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.08 PKR584.83	$1.06 AFN70	-49.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.12 PKR597.79	$2.66 AFN176	+25.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$21.87 PKR6,161.39	$9.16 AFN605	-58.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.24 PKR1,195.57	$2.22 AFN146	-47.8%
Average			-30.2%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 45.8% less for clothing

	Islamabad	Kabul
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$21.22 PKR5,977.86	$9.60 AFN635	-54.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$27.98 PKR7,882.57	$17.72 AFN1,172	-36.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$91.73 PKR25,841.78	$33.97 AFN2,246	-63.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$40.09 PKR11,293.96	$28.68 AFN1,896	-28.5%
Average			-45.8%

Islamabad vs. Kabul - Cost of clothing

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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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