Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Itahari

For one person, living is cheaper in Itahari: $230 a month against $485 in Kathmandu, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
Learn more

Kathmandu Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Itahari
Learn more

Itahari Living Index

Jump to prices

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Itahari

🇳🇵 Nepal

$230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu and in Itahari

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 Itahari actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $485 per month in Kathmandu vs $230 in Itahari, rent included.

Kathmandu $485
Itahari $230

A couple spends around $780 per month in Kathmandu vs $402 in Itahari, rent included.

Kathmandu $780
Itahari $402

A family of three spends $1,075 per month in Kathmandu vs $574 in Itahari, rent included.

Kathmandu $1,075
Itahari $574

Kathmandu costs about 111% more than Itahari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kathmandu and Itahari are more affordable than the global median – Kathmandu 64% lower, Itahari 83% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 NPR 307

$2.70 NPR 411

-25.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.42 NPR 3,103

$11.57 NPR 1,758

76.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 NPR 1,134

$6.66 NPR 1,012

12.01%

Cappuccino

$1.51 NPR 230

$1.14 NPR 172

32.46%

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

$0.55 NPR 83.8

$0.31 NPR 47.38

77.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 NPR 25.74

$0.18 NPR 27.46

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 NPR 492

$1.75 NPR 266

85.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 NPR 492

$2.84 NPR 432

14.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 NPR 111

$0.66 NPR 99.7

10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 NPR 95.9

$0.35 NPR 52.6

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 NPR 132

$0.68 NPR 103

27.94%

Eggs

$1.76 NPR 268

$1.39 NPR 211

26.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 NPR 1,119

$7.73 NPR 1,175

-4.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 NPR 466

$2.73 NPR 415

12.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.99 NPR 909

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 NPR 314

$1.71 NPR 259

21.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 NPR 176

$0.71 NPR 107

63.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 NPR 221

$1.17 NPR 177

23.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 NPR 84.0

$0.34 NPR 51.8

61.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 59.0

$0.25 NPR 37.82

56.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 NPR 76.7

$0.57 NPR 86.3

-12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 NPR 68.8

$0.25 NPR 37.92

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.43

$0.32 NPR 49.22

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 NPR 383

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 NPR 1,175

$6.54 NPR 994

18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 NPR 352

$1.99 NPR 303

16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 NPR 463

$2.57 NPR 390

18.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 NPR 33.25

$0.34 NPR 52.1

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.04 NPR 1,525

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 NPR 267

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 NPR 186

$0.31 NPR 47.64

293.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 NPR 516

$1.34 NPR 203

153.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 NPR 206

$1.21 NPR 183

11.57%

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

$36.8K NPR 5.6M

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

$36.8K NPR 5.6M

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

$32.06 NPR 4,872

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

$3.59 NPR 545

$3.72 NPR 565

-3.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.24 NPR 1,404

$6.61 NPR 1,004

39.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.94 NPR 3,334

$13.02 NPR 1,978

68.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 NPR 1,027

Cinema Ticket

$2.98 NPR 453

$3.39 NPR 515

-12.09%

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

$67.8 NPR 10.3K

$19.59 NPR 2,976

246.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,618 NPR 853.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.01 NPR 3,648

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.88 NPR 4,084

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 NPR 9,838

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.17 NPR 4,432

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 NPR 33.4K

$26.85 NPR 4,080

718.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 NPR 15.4K

$16.18 NPR 2,459

525.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 NPR 65.8K

$89.0 NPR 13.5K

386.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 NPR 30.5K

$80.3 NPR 12.2K

149.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,355 NPR 357.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 NPR 202.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$261 NPR 39.7K

$194 NPR 29.5K

34.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Itahari: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$145 29.9%

Itahari

$109 * 47.5% 24.8% $36

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$101 20.9%

Itahari

$16 7% 84% $85

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$82 17%

Itahari

$72 31.1% 12.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$65 13.4%

Itahari

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$45 9.3%

Itahari

$10 * 4.5% 77% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$28 5.8%

Itahari

$20 8.6% 29.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$19 3.9%

Itahari

$2.9 * 1.3% 84.4% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Kathmandu versus $26.85 in Itahari. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Kathmandu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Kathmandu versus $12.00 in Itahari. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $145 vs $109 – making Itahari the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Itahari

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

Same time as Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

47,984

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kathmandu Itahari 230 km

From you

Kathmandu
Itahari

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 Itahari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $485 in Kathmandu, $230 in Itahari – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $728 per month in Kathmandu and $345 in Itahari. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itahari, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Kathmandu and $12.00 in Itahari. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Kathmandu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $485 in Kathmandu and $230 in Itahari, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Itahari – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Itahari. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kathmandu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.