What It Costs to Send Money to Afghanistan from the US
In the 2024 Q3 World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide quarterly survey, sending USD 200 from the United States to Afghanistan carried a median total cost of 9.87% and an average total cost of 10.16% of the amount sent. Total cost in this context combines two components: the explicit transfer fee charged by the provider and the exchange-rate margin, which is the difference between the mid-market rate and the rate applied to the transaction.
Across the six providers surveyed in that same 2024 Q3 period, quoted total costs ranged from a low of 6.89% to a high of 12.50%. The cheapest surveyed provider in the 2024 Q3 data was MoneyGram. Because survey data reflects prices collected at a specific point in time, actual pricing from any provider may have changed since that survey was conducted.
Costs within this corridor can vary depending on the payment method used, the payout method selected, and the amount transferred; the figures above are specific to a USD 200 send amount. The World Bank updates this survey quarterly, so figures from earlier periods may not reflect current conditions. The per-provider table below presents the individual quotes drawn from the 2024 Q3 survey data.
Surveyed providers (2024 Q3)
| Provider | Type | Pay-out | Speed (surveyed) | Total cost, $200 | Total cost, $500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoneyGram | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.89% | 5.94% |
| Western Union | MTO | Internet | 3-5 days | 9.53% | 9.53% |
| Western Union | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 9.60% | 6.60% |
| MoneyGram | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 10.14% | 8.64% |
| MoneyGram | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 12.30% | 7.80% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Agent | Less than one hour | 12.50% | 8.00% |
Total cost = transfer fee + exchange-rate margin, as a percent of the amount sent, at the two surveyed send amounts ($200 / $500). Surveyed prices, not live quotes.
Estimate your transfer cost →Source: The World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide, available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org (CC BY 4.0). Figures are from the 2024 Q3 survey — surveyed prices, not live quotes.