Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Pokhara

For one person, living costs are similar in Kathmandu and in Pokhara: $488 and $498 a month, rent and utilities included.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Pokhara
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Pokhara Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$488

/mo nomad

Pokhara

🇳🇵 Nepal

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu and in Pokhara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kathmandu versus $498 in Pokhara.

Kathmandu $488
Pokhara $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $783 in Kathmandu versus $762 in Pokhara.

Kathmandu $783
Pokhara $762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,077 in Kathmandu versus $1,027 in Pokhara.

Kathmandu $1,077
Pokhara $1,027

Monthly costs are close between Kathmandu and Pokhara; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kathmandu 64% lower, Pokhara 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.92 NPR 291

$2.61 NPR 397

-26.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.72 NPR 3,146

$13.33 NPR 2,024

55.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.02 NPR 1,065

$6.48 NPR 984

8.33%

Cappuccino

$1.56 NPR 236

$1.10 NPR 168

41.82%

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

$0.51 NPR 78.2

$0.51 NPR 77.5

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 NPR 20.87

$0.14 NPR 21.90

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 NPR 472

$2.47 NPR 376

25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 NPR 504

$3.64 NPR 552

-8.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 NPR 117

$0.82 NPR 125

-6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 93.9

$0.61 NPR 93.2

1.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 NPR 139

$0.66 NPR 99.4

39.39%

Eggs

$1.74 NPR 264

$1.82 NPR 277

-4.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 NPR 1,141

$6.02 NPR 913

24.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 NPR 471

$3.14 NPR 476

-1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.99 NPR 909

$5.62 NPR 853

6.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 NPR 316

$2.57 NPR 390

-19.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 181

$1.28 NPR 194

-7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 NPR 219

$1.25 NPR 190

15.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 NPR 89.3

$0.67 NPR 102

-11.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 58.8

$0.37 NPR 56.3

5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 81.8

$0.87 NPR 132

-37.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 NPR 74.8

$0.36 NPR 55.0

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.20

$0.29 NPR 44.38

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 NPR 373

$2.57 NPR 390

-4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 NPR 1,209

$10.97 NPR 1,666

-27.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 NPR 349

$2.50 NPR 379

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 NPR 458

$3.62 NPR 550

-16.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 NPR 26.26

$0.20 NPR 30.29

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.75 NPR 1,481

$20.01 NPR 3,038

-51.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 NPR 272

$1.62 NPR 245

10.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 NPR 176

$0.81 NPR 123

43.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 NPR 505

$2.67 NPR 406

24.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 NPR 210

$1.18 NPR 180

17.80%

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

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

$33.1K NPR 5.0M

8.00%

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

$35.9K NPR 5.4M

$33.9K NPR 5.2M

5.75%

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

$31.31 NPR 4,752

$65.4 NPR 9,934

-52.15%

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

$3.58 NPR 544

$5.28 NPR 802

-32.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.30 NPR 1,411

$7.03 NPR 1,068

32.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.50 NPR 3,719

$19.86 NPR 3,014

23.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 NPR 1,059

$7.96 NPR 1,209

-12.44%

Cinema Ticket

$2.94 NPR 446

$2.51 NPR 381

17.13%

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

$66.9 NPR 10.1K

$47.94 NPR 7,277

39.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,521 NPR 838.1K

$1,970 NPR 299.1K

180.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 NPR 3,620

$18.82 NPR 2,857

26.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.77 NPR 4,064

$37.80 NPR 5,737

-29.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 NPR 9,509

$36.66 NPR 5,564

70.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.36 NPR 4,457

$30.91 NPR 4,692

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NPR 32.9K

$125 NPR 19.0K

72.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 NPR 15.8K

$83.8 NPR 12.7K

24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 NPR 65.5K

$241 NPR 36.6K

79.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NPR 30.4K

$158 NPR 24.0K

26.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,336 NPR 354.6K

$1,802 NPR 273.6K

29.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,330 NPR 201.9K

$604 NPR 91.7K

120.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 NPR 40.6K

$178 NPR 26.9K

50.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

12.5

-20.16%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Pokhara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$147 30.2%

Pokhara

$153 30.8% 4.1% $6.1

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$104 21.4%

Pokhara

$84 16.8% 19.7% $21

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$80 16.4%

Pokhara

$76 15.2% 5% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.2%

Pokhara

$56 11.2% 12.9% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.1%

Pokhara

$78 15.6% 76% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$30 6.2%

Pokhara

$25 5% 18.1% $5.5

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.7%

Pokhara

$26 5.3% 46.9% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $217 in Kathmandu and $125 in Pokhara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kathmandu pays 51% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $21 in Kathmandu vs $13 in Pokhara. Groceries flip the comparison at $147 vs $153, with Kathmandu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Pokhara

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

Same time as Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Kathmandu Pokhara 140 km

From you

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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 Pokhara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 51% 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 $125 in Pokhara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kathmandu runs roughly 51% less than in Pokhara. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Pokhara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 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.