Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Janakpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Janakpur: $294 a month against $485 in Kathmandu, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Janakpur
Learn more

Janakpur Living Index

Jump to prices

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Janakpur

🇳🇵 Nepal

$294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu and in Janakpur

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

A single person spends $485 per month in Kathmandu vs $294 in Janakpur, rent included.

Kathmandu $485
Janakpur $294

A couple spends around $780 per month in Kathmandu vs $506 in Janakpur, rent included.

Kathmandu $780
Janakpur $506

A family of three spends $1,075 per month in Kathmandu vs $718 in Janakpur, rent included.

Kathmandu $1,075
Janakpur $718

Kathmandu costs about 65% more than Janakpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kathmandu and Janakpur are more affordable than the global median – Kathmandu 64% lower, Janakpur 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 NPR 307

$2.00 NPR 305

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.42 NPR 3,103

$11.24 NPR 1,708

81.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 NPR 1,134

$6.68 NPR 1,015

11.68%

Cappuccino

$1.51 NPR 230

$1.50 NPR 228

0.67%

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

$0.55 NPR 83.8

$0.54 NPR 82.3

1.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 NPR 25.74

$0.15 NPR 23.03

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 NPR 492

$1.97 NPR 300

64.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 NPR 492

$1.66 NPR 252

95.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 NPR 111

$0.58 NPR 87.6

25.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 NPR 95.9

$0.35 NPR 52.5

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 NPR 132

$0.85 NPR 130

2.35%

Eggs

$1.76 NPR 268

$1.65 NPR 251

6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 NPR 1,119

$3.28 NPR 498

124.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 NPR 466

$2.40 NPR 364

27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.99 NPR 909

$6.06 NPR 921

-1.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 NPR 314

$1.65 NPR 251

25.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 NPR 176

$0.66 NPR 100

75.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 NPR 221

$1.01 NPR 154

43.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 NPR 84.0

$0.54 NPR 81.3

1.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 59.0

$0.28 NPR 42.05

39.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 NPR 76.7

$0.51 NPR 77.4

-1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 NPR 68.8

$0.22 NPR 33.32

104.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.43

$0.15 NPR 22.44

46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 NPR 383

$2.26 NPR 344

11.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 NPR 1,175

$7.81 NPR 1,186

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 NPR 352

$1.43 NPR 217

62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 NPR 463

$2.01 NPR 305

51.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 NPR 33.25

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.04 NPR 1,525

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 NPR 267

$0.63 NPR 96.1

179.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 NPR 186

$1.20 NPR 183

1.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 NPR 516

$3.24 NPR 493

4.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 NPR 206

$1.03 NPR 156

31.07%

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

$36.8K NPR 5.6M

$23.0K NPR 3.5M

60.18%

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

$36.8K NPR 5.6M

$26.1K NPR 4.0M

40.90%

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

$32.06 NPR 4,872

$13.19 NPR 2,004

143.06%

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

$3.59 NPR 545

$3.45 NPR 525

4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.24 NPR 1,404

$3.88 NPR 590

138.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.94 NPR 3,334

$13.24 NPR 2,012

65.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 NPR 1,027

$6.55 NPR 996

3.21%

Cinema Ticket

$2.98 NPR 453

$2.97 NPR 451

0.34%

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

$67.8 NPR 10.3K

$32.91 NPR 5,001

106.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,618 NPR 853.6K

$5,440 NPR 826.6K

3.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.01 NPR 3,648

$25.07 NPR 3,809

-4.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.88 NPR 4,084

$16.16 NPR 2,456

66.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 NPR 9,838

$38.50 NPR 5,849

68.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.17 NPR 4,432

$22.40 NPR 3,404

30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 NPR 33.4K

$51.4 NPR 7,810

327.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 NPR 15.4K

$22.49 NPR 3,418

350.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 NPR 65.8K

$133 NPR 20.2K

225.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 NPR 30.5K

$98.6 NPR 15.0K

103.42%

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

$322 NPR 48.9K

-18.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

9.72

2.67%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Janakpur: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$145 29.9%

Janakpur

$109 37.2% 24.6% $36

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$101 20.9%

Janakpur

$22 7.6% 77.8% $79

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$82 17%

Janakpur

$70 23.8% 14.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$65 13.4%

Janakpur

$46 15.6% 29.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$45 9.3%

Janakpur

$21 7% 54.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$28 5.8%

Janakpur

$19 6.5% 31.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$19 3.9%

Janakpur

$6.7 * 2.3% 64.6% $12

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 $51.4 in Janakpur. 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 23% higher in Janakpur, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Kathmandu versus $11.00 in Janakpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $145 vs $109 – making Janakpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Janakpur

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

Same time as Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

195,438

💱 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 Janakpur 120 km

From you

Kathmandu
Janakpur

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 Janakpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $485 in Kathmandu, $294 in Janakpur – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $728 per month in Kathmandu and $441 in Janakpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $485 in Kathmandu and $294 in Janakpur. That's a gap of about 65%.

Kindergarten costs $67.8 per month in Kathmandu and $32.91 in Janakpur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $485 in Kathmandu and $294 in Janakpur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Janakpur – 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 Janakpur. 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.