Cost of Living in Nepal

RESTAURANTS

The cost of a meal in Nepal depends on where you want to eat and if you want to be thrifty, but generally speaking, a meal in an inexpensive restaurant in Nepal costs around 2$ which is rather cheap.

For example, a meal of Nepali food at Lakeside or Thamel starts around 2$ (and in some other areas, Dal Bhat, Momos, and Chowmein it even costs less than that!).

But if you go to a tourist restaurant, expect the prices to go from around 5$ and up.

MARKETS

Food in Nepal can either be home-grown and many people actually do that – for a living – or imported through India, which makes it much more expensive.

Buying groceries and cooking at home saves much more money than going out and eating in restaurants regularly.

Most basic groceries cost less than a dollar.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation is a huge issue in Nepal.

The roads are winding and long, risky and boring, and public transport is very badly organized, though very cheap.

For example, a one-way ticket to anywhere costs only 0.19$, while a monthly pass costs as little as 7.86$.

This is a rather low price for tourists.

Taxi starting tariff costs less than 2$.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

In Nepal, you should get used to power cuts that last around twelve hours a day.

There’s a general lack of basic utilities like electricity, water, power, communication, etc. even in the capital city.

They are, hence, very cheap: all basic utilities, including electricity, heating, cooling, and water, for a larger apartment of about 85m2, amounting to a little bit over 20$.

SPORTS & LEISURE

You won’t need to cash out huge amounts of money to spend quality leisure time in Nepal.

You can go to a movie for a fairly low price, and if you’re into sports – pay a monthly fee for a fitness club, which is just a bit more than 20$.

Of course, an hour of renting a tennis court remains expensive for the local standard, as in most countries of the world.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Shopping in Nepal is very affordable.

You can buy a pair of quality jeans for as low a price as 26$, while you can buy other types of light clothing like shirts and dresses in known chain stores for around 27$, which is unusual, as in most countries jeans cost much more than shirts and dresses.

Of course, sneakers and shoes of known brands like Nike remain more expensive, costing almost 45$.

RENT PER MONTH

When it comes to renting an apartment, it is noticeably cheaper than in most countries of the world.

Of course, it does depend on the neighborhood where you want to rent, but regardless of the area, it is noticeably cheap to rent an apartment anywhere in Nepal.

An apartment in the center of one of the cities costs 120$ a month.

HEALTHCARE

Nepal’s public healthcare is low-cost but limited in quality, leading many residents to rely on private providers.

Private health insurance typically costs 20 to 50 USD per month.

Out-of-pocket expenses are high, averaging roughly 200 to 400 USD per person per year for medications, doctor visits, and hospital services.

With average monthly salaries near 300 USD, healthcare spending represents a large portion of household income.

EDUCATION

Public schools are tuition-free, though families pay for uniforms, books, and supplies, typically $50 to $300 per year.

Private schools charge $1,000 to $5,000 annually.

Public universities charge tuition around $200 to $1,000 per year, while private universities may cost $1,500 to $5,000 per year.

Students also bear housing, food, transport, and textbook costs.

Average monthly income is about $150 to $200, so education costs, especially private tuition and living expenses, are a large share of income.