Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Kawasoti

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasoti: $331 a month against $488 in Kathmandu, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
Learn more

Kathmandu Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Kawasoti
Learn more

Kawasoti Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$488

/mo nomad

Kawasoti

🇳🇵 Nepal

$331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu and in Kawasoti

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kathmandu versus $331 in Kawasoti.

Kathmandu $488
Kawasoti $331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $783 in Kathmandu versus $541 in Kawasoti.

Kathmandu $783
Kawasoti $541

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,077 in Kathmandu versus $750 in Kawasoti.

Kathmandu $1,077
Kawasoti $750

Living in Kathmandu is roughly 47% more expensive than in Kawasoti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kathmandu 64% lower, Kawasoti 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.92 NPR 292

$1.99 NPR 303

-3.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.72 NPR 3,154

$20.31 NPR 3,091

2.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.02 NPR 1,068

$7.43 NPR 1,131

-5.52%

Cappuccino

$1.56 NPR 237

$1.58 NPR 240

-1.27%

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

$0.51 NPR 78.4

$0.52 NPR 79.0

-1.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 NPR 20.92

$0.14 NPR 20.62

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 NPR 473

$3.19 NPR 486

-2.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 NPR 505

$3.24 NPR 493

2.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 NPR 118

$0.76 NPR 116

1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 94.1

$0.51 NPR 77.1

21.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 NPR 140

Eggs

$1.74 NPR 265

$1.67 NPR 254

4.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 NPR 1,144

$7.19 NPR 1,095

4.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 NPR 472

$2.66 NPR 405

16.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.99 NPR 911

$6.17 NPR 940

-2.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 NPR 317

$2.08 NPR 316

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 182

$0.77 NPR 117

54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 NPR 220

$0.64 NPR 97.0

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 NPR 89.5

$0.45 NPR 68.4

31.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 59.0

$0.32 NPR 48.11

21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 82.0

$0.47 NPR 72.1

14.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 NPR 75.0

$0.35 NPR 52.7

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.28

$0.24 NPR 36.71

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 NPR 374

$2.43 NPR 370

1.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 NPR 1,212

$2.69 NPR 410

196.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 NPR 350

$2.19 NPR 334

5.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 NPR 459

$2.67 NPR 406

13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 NPR 26.33

$0.17 NPR 26.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.75 NPR 1,485

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 NPR 273

$0.68 NPR 103

163.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 NPR 176

$0.85 NPR 129

36.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 NPR 507

$1.93 NPR 294

72.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 NPR 211

$1.14 NPR 173

21.93%

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

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

$35.9K NPR 5.5M

-0.46%

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

$35.9K NPR 5.5M

$37.0K NPR 5.6M

-2.98%

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

$31.31 NPR 4,765

$16.10 NPR 2,450

94.47%

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

$3.58 NPR 546

$3.22 NPR 490

11.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.30 NPR 1,415

$6.65 NPR 1,011

39.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.50 NPR 3,729

$19.44 NPR 2,958

26.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 NPR 1,061

$6.61 NPR 1,005

5.45%

Cinema Ticket

$2.94 NPR 447

$1.66 NPR 253

77.11%

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

$66.9 NPR 10.2K

$65.0 NPR 9,897

2.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,521 NPR 840.2K

$5,454 NPR 830.1K

1.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 NPR 3,630

$13.36 NPR 2,033

78.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.77 NPR 4,074

$9.79 NPR 1,490

173.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 NPR 9,534

$19.90 NPR 3,028

214.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.36 NPR 4,469

$9.82 NPR 1,495

198.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NPR 33.0K

$66.1 NPR 10.1K

227.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 NPR 15.9K

$46.76 NPR 7,116

123.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 NPR 65.7K

$97.0 NPR 14.8K

344.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NPR 30.5K

$65.2 NPR 9,929

206.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,336 NPR 355.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,330 NPR 202.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 NPR 40.7K

$232 NPR 35.3K

15.52%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Kawasoti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$147 30.2%

Kawasoti

$124 37.5% 15.7% $23

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$104 21.4%

Kawasoti

$47 14.1% 55.2% $58

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$80 16.4%

Kawasoti

$82 24.8% 2.9% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.2%

Kawasoti

$24 7.2% 62.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.1%

Kawasoti

$26 7.8% 41.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$30 6.2%

Kawasoti

$23 6.9% 25.1% $7.6

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.7%

Kawasoti

$5.6 * 1.7% 68.9% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $217 in Kathmandu and $66 in Kawasoti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kathmandu pays 16% 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: $21 in Kathmandu vs $20 in Kawasoti for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $124 per month, with Kawasoti cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Kawasoti

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

Same time as Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.57 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.57 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kathmandu Kawasoti 120 km

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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 Kawasoti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kawasoti wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Kathmandu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kawasoti the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Kathmandu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $217 in Kathmandu versus $66 in Kawasoti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Kathmandu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $488 per month in Kathmandu versus $331 in Kawasoti – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kawasoti gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Kawasoti wins on affordability, Kathmandu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.