Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Narayangarh, Chitwan

For one person, living is cheaper in Narayangarh, Chitwan: $351 a month against $485 in Kathmandu, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Narayangarh, Chitwan
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Narayangarh, Chitwan Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Narayangarh, Chitwan

🇳🇵 Nepal

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu and in Narayangarh, Chitwan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $485 in Kathmandu versus $351 in Narayangarh, Chitwan.

Kathmandu $485
Narayangarh, Chitwan $351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $776 in Kathmandu versus $552 in Narayangarh, Chitwan.

Kathmandu $776
Narayangarh, Chitwan $552

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,067 in Kathmandu versus $753 in Narayangarh, Chitwan.

Kathmandu $1,067
Narayangarh, Chitwan $753

Living in Kathmandu is roughly 38% more expensive than in Narayangarh, Chitwan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kathmandu 64% lower, Narayangarh, Chitwan 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 NPR 304

$1.98 NPR 301

1.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.16 NPR 3,064

$10.07 NPR 1,531

100.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 NPR 1,160

$5.10 NPR 775

49.80%

Cappuccino

$1.52 NPR 231

$1.55 NPR 235

-1.94%

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

$0.54 NPR 82.7

$0.51 NPR 77.2

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 NPR 23.14

$0.14 NPR 21.90

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 NPR 483

$2.01 NPR 306

58.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NPR 507

$2.27 NPR 344

47.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 NPR 115

$0.77 NPR 117

-1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 94.6

$0.59 NPR 89.4

5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 NPR 132

$0.64 NPR 97.1

35.94%

Eggs

$1.66 NPR 252

$1.72 NPR 261

-3.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 NPR 1,141

$7.16 NPR 1,087

4.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 NPR 468

$3.04 NPR 463

1.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 NPR 914

$6.05 NPR 919

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 NPR 315

$2.07 NPR 314

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 180

$0.82 NPR 124

45.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 NPR 208

$1.40 NPR 213

-2.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 81.6

$0.57 NPR 87.1

-5.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 NPR 57.9

$0.38 NPR 57.1

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 82.2

$0.50 NPR 76.6

8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 NPR 74.4

$0.45 NPR 68.6

8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.24

$0.24 NPR 36.68

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 NPR 367

$1.93 NPR 293

24.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 NPR 1,156

$8.04 NPR 1,222

-5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 NPR 334

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 NPR 454

$2.99 NPR 455

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 NPR 33.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.76 NPR 1,482

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 NPR 264

$1.84 NPR 280

-5.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 NPR 173

$1.15 NPR 174

-0.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 NPR 506

$3.31 NPR 503

0.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 NPR 214

$1.34 NPR 204

5.22%

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

$29.8K NPR 4.5M

$29.3K NPR 4.4M

1.99%

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

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

$35.5K NPR 5.4M

2.37%

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

$31.62 NPR 4,805

$31.57 NPR 4,796

0.16%

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

$3.42 NPR 520

$3.49 NPR 530

-2.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 NPR 1,363

$8.98 NPR 1,365

-0.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 NPR 3,363

$19.96 NPR 3,033

10.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 NPR 1,027

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 NPR 439

$2.96 NPR 450

-2.36%

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

$66.1 NPR 10.0K

$64.8 NPR 9,838

2.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,484 NPR 833.3K

$5,571 NPR 846.5K

-1.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 NPR 3,780

$25.46 NPR 3,869

-2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.17 NPR 3,976

$26.80 NPR 4,072

-2.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 NPR 9,573

$62.9 NPR 9,552

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.83 NPR 4,381

$28.64 NPR 4,352

0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 NPR 33.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 NPR 15.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 NPR 65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 NPR 30.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 NPR 348.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,340 NPR 203.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$267 NPR 40.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.72

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Narayangarh, Chitwan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$145 29.8%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

$141 40.4% 2.1% $3.1

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$104 21.4%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$83 17%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

$67 19.1% 18.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.3%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

$65 18.5% 0.6% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.1%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

$44 12.6% 0.1% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$28 5.8%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

$26 7.4% 7.3% $2

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.7%

Narayangarh, Chitwan

$7.6 * 2.2% 58.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $20.00 in Kathmandu vs $10.00 in Narayangarh, Chitwan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $141 per month, with Narayangarh, Chitwan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Narayangarh, Chitwan

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

Same time as Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

💱 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

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Kathmandu Narayangarh, Chitwan 88 km

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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 Narayangarh, Chitwan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narayangarh, Chitwan wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Kathmandu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Narayangarh, Chitwan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $728 in Kathmandu and $526 in Narayangarh, Chitwan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Kathmandu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $485 per month in Kathmandu versus $351 in Narayangarh, Chitwan – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Narayangarh, Chitwan 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.

Expats usually find Narayangarh, Chitwan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Kathmandu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.