Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Nepal

Name: Nepal
Address: NP

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $413 in Nepal, rent and utilities included – about $170 less a year. The total is higher in Nepal despite lower rent and utilities.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Nepal
Learn more

Nepal Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇳🇵 Nepal

$413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Nepal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in Nepal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $413 in Nepal.

India $399
Nepal $413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $672 in Nepal.

India $639
Nepal $672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $932 in Nepal.

India $879
Nepal $932

India ($230–$813) and Nepal ($24–$498) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in India costs about 3% less than in Nepal on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Nepal 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$1.94 NPR 294

10.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹993

$16.46 NPR 2,504

-36.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$6.48 NPR 985

-41.36%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹159

$1.37 NPR 209

22.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₹35.93

$0.51 NPR 77.9

-25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.58

$0.16 NPR 23.63

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹177

$2.32 NPR 353

-19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

$3.19 NPR 485

-0.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.1

$0.70 NPR 107

-11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.68

$0.48 NPR 72.9

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$0.78 NPR 119

-19.23%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.1

$1.55 NPR 236

-38.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹460

$6.48 NPR 986

-25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$2.94 NPR 448

-3.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.45 NPR 829

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.00 NPR 305

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.3

$1.05 NPR 160

-38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.1

$1.17 NPR 178

-17.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.22

$0.57 NPR 87.1

-17.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.82

$0.36 NPR 54.2

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.66

$0.52 NPR 79.8

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.32

$0.43 NPR 65.8

9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.62

$0.25 NPR 38.26

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹482

$2.65 NPR 403

91.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹694

$7.05 NPR 1,072

3.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹154

$2.37 NPR 360

-31.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$2.83 NPR 431

-2.47%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.81

$0.22 NPR 34.00

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹815

$9.89 NPR 1,505

-13.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.5

$1.62 NPR 246

-38.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.69

$1.03 NPR 157

-73.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$3.36 NPR 512

-54.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.23 NPR 187

-13.01%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$33.2K NPR 5.0M

-66.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$34.4K NPR 5.2M

-41.68%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$37.08 ₹3,521

$32.71 NPR 4,975

13.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$3.58 ₹340

$4.03 NPR 612

-11.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹679

$7.59 NPR 1,155

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,424

$21.04 NPR 3,201

-28.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹681

$6.18 NPR 941

16.02%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹303

$2.62 NPR 399

22.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$58.8 ₹5,583

$51.4 NPR 7,824

14.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.2K

$3,441 NPR 523.5K

-51.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,187

$20.23 NPR 3,077

13.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,295

$27.12 NPR 4,125

-10.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,911

$46.19 NPR 7,027

-10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,812

$24.87 NPR 3,782

19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$133 NPR 20.2K

10.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,149

$65.4 NPR 9,944

47.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$288 NPR 43.7K

19.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$154 NPR 23.4K

51.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.7K

$2,150 NPR 327.1K

-45.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.1K

$1,148 NPR 174.6K

-44.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.8K

$212 NPR 32.2K

93.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

10.57

-15.52%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nepal: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Nepal

$134 32.4% 31.1% $32

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Nepal

$65 15.8% 32.2% $31

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Nepal

$72 17.5% 8.3% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Nepal

$53 12.9% 0.3% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Nepal

$44 10.7% 7.3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Nepal

$26 6.4% 22.9% $4.9

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Nepal

$18 4.3% 46.6% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $78 in Nepal. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $217 in Kathmandu.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $202 in Nepal. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 54% higher in India.

Dining out costs 45% more in Nepal.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in Nepal.

Salaries are about 2 times higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇳🇵 Nepal

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

15 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

29,164,578

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.57 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.57 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

India Nepal 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

India
Nepal

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

India vs Nepal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $413 in Nepal, India comes out about 3% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.