Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $485 a month against $552 in Bangalore, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bangalore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $485 in Kathmandu versus $552 in Bangalore.

Kathmandu $485
Bangalore $552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $776 in Kathmandu versus $936 in Bangalore.

Kathmandu $776
Bangalore $936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,067 in Kathmandu versus $1,320 in Bangalore.

Kathmandu $1,067
Bangalore $1,320

Living in Kathmandu costs roughly 12% less than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kathmandu 64% lower, Bangalore 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 NPR 304

$3.20 ₹304

-37.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.16 NPR 3,064

$17.72 ₹1,683

13.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 NPR 1,160

$4.74 ₹451

61.18%

Cappuccino

$1.52 NPR 231

$2.24 ₹213

-32.14%

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

$0.54 NPR 82.7

$0.38 ₹36.16

42.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 NPR 23.14

$0.13 ₹11.88

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 NPR 483

$2.29 ₹217

38.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NPR 507

$3.69 ₹351

-9.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 NPR 115

$0.63 ₹60.1

20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 94.6

$0.59 ₹55.6

5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 NPR 132

$0.81 ₹77.2

7.41%

Eggs

$1.66 NPR 252

$1.12 ₹106

48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 NPR 1,141

$5.97 ₹567

25.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 NPR 468

$3.75 ₹356

-17.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 NPR 914

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 NPR 315

$2.80 ₹266

-26.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 180

$0.76 ₹72.6

56.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 NPR 208

$1.18 ₹112

16.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 81.6

$0.38 ₹36.11

42.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 NPR 57.9

$0.38 ₹35.71

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 82.2

$0.36 ₹34.08

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 NPR 74.4

$0.42 ₹40.06

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.24

$0.32 ₹30.82

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 NPR 367

$4.80 ₹456

-49.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 NPR 1,156

$9.31 ₹884

-18.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 NPR 334

$1.95 ₹185

12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 NPR 454

$3.00 ₹285

-0.33%

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

$6.37 ₹605

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 NPR 33.95

$0.54 ₹50.9

-59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.76 NPR 1,482

$15.55 ₹1,477

-37.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 NPR 264

$1.02 ₹97.2

70.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 NPR 173

$0.30 ₹28.63

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 NPR 506

$2.04 ₹194

63.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 NPR 214

$1.10 ₹105

28.18%

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

$29.8K NPR 4.5M

$12.5K ₹1.2M

138.00%

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

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

$18.7K ₹1.8M

94.15%

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

$31.62 NPR 4,805

$30.94 ₹2,938

2.20%

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

$3.42 NPR 520

$4.10 ₹389

-16.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 NPR 1,363

$10.39 ₹987

-13.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 NPR 3,363

$18.87 ₹1,792

17.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 NPR 1,027

$5.79 ₹550

16.75%

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 NPR 439

$4.82 ₹457

-40.04%

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

$66.1 NPR 10.0K

$102 ₹9,658

-35.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,484 NPR 833.3K

$3,257 ₹309.3K

68.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 NPR 3,780

$33.54 ₹3,185

-25.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.17 NPR 3,976

$30.76 ₹2,921

-14.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 NPR 9,573

$52.7 ₹5,002

19.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.83 NPR 4,381

$40.37 ₹3,834

-28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 NPR 33.1K

$307 ₹29.1K

-28.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 NPR 15.8K

$176 ₹16.7K

-40.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 NPR 65.8K

$782 ₹74.2K

-44.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 NPR 30.1K

$482 ₹45.8K

-58.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 NPR 348.8K

$1,857 ₹176.3K

23.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,340 NPR 203.6K

$1,074 ₹102.0K

24.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$267 NPR 40.6K

$940 ₹89.2K

-71.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.72

8.46

14.89%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$145 29.8%

Bangalore

$124 22.4% 14.5% $21

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$104 21.4%

Bangalore

$176 31.9% 69.2% $72

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$83 17%

Bangalore

$88 15.9% 6.2% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.3%

Bangalore

$71 12.8% 10.1% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.1%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 3.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$28 5.8%

Bangalore

$29 5.2% 2.1% $0.6

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.7%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 12% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Kathmandu and $307 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 252% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20.00 in Kathmandu vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $124 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

15 min behind Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kathmandu Bangalore 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kathmandu
Bangalore

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

Kathmandu vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Bangalore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 252% lower in Bangalore. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Kathmandu versus $307 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kathmandu runs roughly 59% less than in Bangalore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $66.1 in Kathmandu versus $102 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Kathmandu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kathmandu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $485 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kathmandu hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bangalore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.