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Cost of living in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is 81% cheaper than the US, ranking #200 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.

World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.

Cost of living · US = 100
19.1
Ranks #200 of 203 · 81% cheaper than the US
GDP / capita (PPP)
$2,202
GNI / capita (PPP)
$2,210
Inflation · YoY
-6.6%
Population
42.6M
Capital
Kabul
Density
64 /km²
Urban
26%
Area
652.9K km²
Afghanistan on the map

What your money is worth here

A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $19,000 in Afghanistan.

Quality of life

45/100 · #183 of 198

Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).

Quality-of-life score
45 / 100
Our transparent equal-weight composite
Life expectancy
66 yrs
World Bank · 2024 · source
Safety · homicide /100k
4.0
UNODC · 2021 · source
Infant mortality /1k
48
World Bank · 2024 · source
Internet users
16%
ITU · 2024 · source
Safe drinking water
31%
WHO/UNICEF · 2024 · source
Air quality · PM2.5
46 µg/m³
WHO · 2020 · source

About Afghanistan

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in increased democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. Internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels forced the USSR to withdraw in 1989. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US and Allied military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Usama BIN LADIN.

Read the full background

A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and he was reelected in 2009. Ashraf Ghani AHMADZAI succeeded him as president in 2014 following a disputed election. The Taliban conducted an insurgency for two decades against the Afghan Government and forces from the United States and other countries. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement that led to the withdrawal of international forces in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and other assurances. The Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15 August 2021.The Taliban established an all-male interim leadership structure dominated by Pashtun clerics under the leadership of Haivatrullah AKHUNDZADA. The Taliban issued numerous edicts that constrained women's mobility, ability to study and work, and access to education beyond primary school. To date, no country has recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.

Frequently asked

Is Afghanistan expensive to live in?

Afghanistan is 81% cheaper than the US, ranking #200 of the 203 countries we track.

How much money do you need to live in Afghanistan?

A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $19,000 in Afghanistan, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.

Is Afghanistan cheaper than the United States?

Yes. Its overall price level is 19.1, against 100 for the United States.

What is the quality of life in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan scores 45 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#183 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 66 years.

Every number, sourced.

We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.

Price level index (US = 100)
Derived: nominal ÷ PPP GDP per capita, indexed to the US
19.1
GDP per capita (PPP)
World Bank · 2023 · source
$2,202
GNI per capita (PPP)
World Bank · 2023 · source
$2,210
Inflation (annual %)
World Bank · 2024 · source
-6.6%
Population
World Bank · 2024 · source
42.6M
Population density
World Bank · 2023 · source
64 /km²
Urban population
World Bank · 2024 · source
26%
Surface area
World Bank · 2023 · source
652.9K km²

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