Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $485 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$782

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mumbai (Bombay) and in Kathmandu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mumbai (Bombay) and in Kathmandu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $485 in Kathmandu.

Mumbai (Bombay) $782
Kathmandu $485

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $776 in Kathmandu.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299
Kathmandu $776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $1,067 in Kathmandu.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816
Kathmandu $1,067

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 61% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower, Kathmandu 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.38 ₹511

$2.00 NPR 304

169.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,971

$20.16 NPR 3,064

2.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.19 ₹398

$7.64 NPR 1,160

-45.16%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ₹260

$1.52 NPR 231

80.26%

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

$0.41 ₹38.77

$0.54 NPR 82.7

-24.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹15.04

$0.15 NPR 23.14

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₹246

$3.18 NPR 483

-18.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 ₹396

$3.34 NPR 507

24.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ₹71.2

$0.76 NPR 115

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.5

$0.62 NPR 94.6

-14.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ₹69.6

$0.87 NPR 132

-16.09%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.66 NPR 252

-42.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₹524

$7.51 NPR 1,141

-26.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹340

$3.08 NPR 468

16.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 NPR 914

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₹203

$2.07 NPR 315

3.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.5

$1.19 NPR 180

-42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ₹116

$1.37 NPR 208

-10.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.77

$0.54 NPR 81.6

-14.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.24

$0.38 NPR 57.9

-5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.12

$0.54 NPR 82.2

-27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ₹38.05

$0.49 NPR 74.4

-18.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.46

$0.22 NPR 33.24

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 ₹485

$2.41 NPR 367

111.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 ₹771

$7.61 NPR 1,156

6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$2.20 NPR 334

-11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

$2.99 NPR 454

6.35%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.17 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.99

$0.22 NPR 33.95

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 ₹512

$9.76 NPR 1,482

-44.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.39

$1.74 NPR 264

-82.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ₹28.01

$1.14 NPR 173

-74.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ₹151

$3.33 NPR 506

-52.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹104

$1.41 NPR 214

-21.99%

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

$15.9K ₹1.5M

$29.8K NPR 4.5M

-46.87%

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

$22.7K ₹2.2M

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-37.47%

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

$61.6 ₹5,846

$31.62 NPR 4,805

94.69%

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

$4.25 ₹404

$3.42 NPR 520

24.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 ₹855

$8.97 NPR 1,363

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.24 ₹2,587

$22.13 NPR 3,363

23.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.31 ₹1,264

$6.76 NPR 1,027

96.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 ₹416

$2.89 NPR 439

51.56%

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

$116 ₹11.0K

$66.1 NPR 10.0K

74.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,968 ₹471.7K

$5,484 NPR 833.3K

-9.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.16 ₹3,529

$24.88 NPR 3,780

49.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.88 ₹3,787

$26.17 NPR 3,976

52.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 ₹5,307

$63.0 NPR 9,573

-11.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.19 ₹4,576

$28.83 NPR 4,381

67.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₹58.0K

$218 NPR 33.1K

180.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₹33.6K

$104 NPR 15.8K

240.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 ₹173.7K

$433 NPR 65.8K

322.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 ₹83.3K

$198 NPR 30.1K

342.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,877 ₹558.0K

$2,296 NPR 348.8K

155.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 ₹232.4K

$1,340 NPR 203.6K

82.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 ₹72.0K

$267 NPR 40.6K

183.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

9.72

-14.71%

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

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 12, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$354 45.3%

Kathmandu

$104 21.4% 70.6% $250

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 14.8%

Kathmandu

$145 29.8% 25% $29

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 14.3%

Kathmandu

$83 17% 26.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$82 10.4%

Kathmandu

$64 13.3% 21.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.6%

Kathmandu

$44 9.1% 41.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$36 4.6%

Kathmandu

$28 5.8% 22.5% $8.1

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8 1%

Kathmandu

$18 3.7% 126% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $218 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 184% 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: $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $20.00 in Kathmandu. Groceries flip the comparison at $116 vs $145, with Mumbai (Bombay) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

15 min ahead of Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mumbai (Bombay) Kathmandu 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Kathmandu

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

Mumbai (Bombay) vs Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 184% higher in Mumbai (Bombay), 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: $611 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $218 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $782 per month in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $485 in Kathmandu – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 work as nomad bases, but Kathmandu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $485 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kathmandu hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.