Nepal: cost of living

What is the poverty rate in Nepal?

20.3% of Nepalis lived below the national poverty line in 2022/23, according to the National Statistics Office's Nepal in Figures 2026, based on the Nepal Living Standards Survey. The rate was 18.3% in urban areas and 24.7% in rural areas.

The rate was 25.2% in 2010/11 and 41.8% in 1995/96. At the international line of USD 3.00 a day, the World Bank estimate for 2022 is 2.4%. The national line is set from the cost of basic needs in Nepal, so the two figures measure different things.

Official sources: NSO: Nepal in Figures 2026 (PDF) · World Bank: Poverty at $3.00 a day, Nepal

Is Nepal cheap to live in?

No official body publishes a cost-of-living comparison for Kathmandu or Pokhara against other countries. The World Bank's purchasing power parity factor for household consumption shows that Rs 35.3 bought in 2025 what one US dollar bought in the United States.

The official exchange rate averaged Rs 139.1 per dollar in 2025, so prices were on average about 25% of US levels. The comparison is national. Within Nepal, consumer prices in the Kathmandu Valley rose 5.28% in the year to mid-September 2026, according to Nepal Rastra Bank.

Official sources: World Bank: PPP conversion factor, private consumption, Nepal · World Bank: Official exchange rate, Nepal · Nepal Rastra Bank: Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation, two months of 2026/27 (PDF)

How fast are food prices rising in Nepal?

Food and beverage prices in Nepal were 7.54% higher in mid-September 2026 than a year earlier, according to Nepal Rastra Bank. A year before, they had fallen 1.34%.

Within food, ghee and oil rose 16.68%, fruit 15.99%, sugar 12.14%, meat and fish 7.34% and vegetables 7.07%. Food and beverages make up 35.49% of the consumer price index. Prices rose faster in rural areas, by 6.78% overall, than in urban areas, by 6.19%.

Official sources: Nepal Rastra Bank: Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation, two months of 2026/27 (PDF)

How fast are prices rising in Nepal?

The IMF puts consumer price inflation in Nepal at 2.7% in 2025. The peak was 11.1% in 2009 and the low 2.3% in 2007. Across South Asia the middle value was 3.1%, and Nepal placed 4th highest of 6. Worldwide: 89th of 165.

How much do households in Nepal spend per person?

$1,032: that is household consumption per person in Nepal for 2025, according to the World Bank. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. World rank, highest first: 101st of 124.

What share of people in Nepal live in extreme poverty?

According to the World Bank, the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in Nepal was 2.4% in 2022. That compares with 22.1% in 2010. Of 72 countries with 2022 data, 25th highest.

What is the poverty rate in Nepal?

According to the World Bank, the share of people below the national poverty line in Nepal was 20.3% in 2022. Worldwide: 28th of 52.

What is income inequality in Nepal?

In 2022, the Gini index in Nepal was 30.0, according to the World Bank. In 2010 the figure was 32.8. Of 72 countries with 2022 data, 56th highest.

How many people in Nepal go hungry?

According to the FAO, moderate or severe food insecurity in Nepal was 35.0% in 2024. Since 2015 it has ranged from 29.5% (2015) to 37.8% (2020). Of 135 countries with 2024 data, 42nd highest.