Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kabul vs. Ulaanbaatar Cost of Living Summary

Kabul is 27.6% cheaper than Ulaanbaatar.

Restaurants
pay 47.1% less in Kabul
Groceries
pay 59.5% less in Kabul
Transportation
pay 1.1% more in Kabul
Housing
pay 94.4% more in Kabul
Childcare
pay 83.2% less in Kabul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.0% less in Kabul
Clothing
pay 77.0% less in Kabul

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

Kabul vs. Ulaanbaatar Cost Breakdown

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

pay 47.1% less for restaurants

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.56
MNT19,913.00
$2.66
AFN176
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.41
MNT19,365.39
$4.43
AFN294
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.72
MNT2,588.69
$0.36
AFN24

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pay 59.5% less for groceries

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Bread
1 loaf
$0.92
MNT3,304.31
$0.21
AFN14
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.86
MNT21,008.22
$1.93
AFN128
Milk (1 gallon) $5.29
MNT18,955.04
$2.94
AFN195

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pay 1.1% more for transportation

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.78
MNT13,555.64
$3.72
AFN247
Monthly public transit pass $8.34
MNT29,869.50
$10.34
AFN685
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,628.61
MNT102,551,962.31
$8,122.57
AFN538,245

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pay 94.4% more for housing

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$13.74
MNT49,201.71
$93.04
AFN6,165
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $503.97
MNT1,805,294.99
$87.13
AFN5,774
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $394.69
MNT1,413,823.17
$59.07
AFN3,915

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pay 83.2% less for childcare

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $166.77
MNT597,390.07
$18.90
AFN1,253
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,632.97
MNT23,760,294.02
$1,476.83
AFN97,863

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pay 22.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.95
MNT6,969.55
$2.36
AFN157
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.42
MNT8,675.43
$1.06
AFN70
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.71
MNT6,142.65
$2.66
AFN176

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pay 77.0% less for clothing

 
Ulaanbaatar
Kabul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$81.91
MNT293,429.59
$9.60
AFN636
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$65.60
MNT234,973.23
$17.72
AFN1,174
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$98.97
MNT354,518.77
$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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