St. Xavier's School
British
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inKathmandu, Nepal
Bagmati Province, Nepal1.4MCapitalLower middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Vyacheslav Argenberg
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 4.5x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Nepal: $5,277/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 77% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
4.3x further
Prices are 77% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
25x further
Prices are 96% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
4.2x further
Prices are 76% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
5.6x further
Prices are 82% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Lower Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$5,277
PPP, International $
City Population
1.4M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$182/mo
1BR Outside Center$89/mo
3BR City Center$440/mo
3BR Outside Center$179/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$1.70
Mid-Range (2 people)$18
Milk (1L)$0.79
Bread (500g)$0.56
Eggs (12)$1.75
Transport
Monthly Pass$10
Taxi per km$1.23
Gasoline (1L)$1.15
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$30/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$8.31/mo
Education
Preschool$69/mo
Intl Primary School$4,795/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Nepal as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Kathmandu.
Quality
Limited public-school fit
Expat access
Possible, but a hard fit
hardInstruction
Nepali
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Nepal's public-school system can work for locally integrated families, but classroom quality and resources vary sharply and most expat households looking for predictability still lean private or international.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident enrollment can be possible, but Nepali-medium instruction and uneven school conditions make the public route a difficult match for most relocating families.
❓ Homeschooling
Not specifically addressedMinimal requirements
Nepal does not have specific homeschooling regulations. Education is compulsory but alternatives are not well-defined. Some expat families homeschool in Kathmandu.
Homeschool legality in Nepal — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
- British1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Kathmandu, Nepal.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$240-$360
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$360-$540
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Kathmandu: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 23/100 (limited). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
23/100
mobility profile minimal transit
Airport
International airport
Tribhuvan is Nepal’s main international gateway, even if the route map is narrower than larger South Asian capitals.
Urban transit
Bus and microbus mix
busminibus
Kathmandu relies on buses and microbuses rather than a structured rail or BRT backbone, so daily mobility is still fairly informal.
Rideshare
Pathao and taxi-first rides
App-hailed options like Pathao exist, but coverage is less dependable than in stronger Uber or Grab markets.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Nepal.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
27 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, hospital capacity looks tighter, and households still pay a large share themselves weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
LimitedA clearly private facility base help, but the tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
58/100
2023
Physicians
1.01/1k
2023
Hospital beds
0.54/1k
2023
Out of pocket
59%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
70.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
142/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
15.3/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedA visible private hospital base help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 9Clinic: 8Pharmacy: 7Dentist: 2Doctor: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Nepal yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index64/100
Crime Index36/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.54
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2017 annual wages in Kathmandu, Nepal · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
bread 500g
$0.56Estimated83% cheaper
budget hotel
$65.95Survey-verified82% more
childcare preschool
$68.59Estimated96% cheaper
eggs dozen
$1.75Estimated64% cheaper
gasoline liter
$18.03Survey-verified1650% more
inexpensive meal
$5.15Survey-verified76% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$8.31Estimated88% cheaper
luxury hotel
$65.95Survey-verified86% cheaper
milk liter
$0.79Estimated35% cheaper
monthly pass
$18.03Survey-verified74% cheaper
rent 1br
$241.79Survey-verified87% cheaper
rent 3br
$440.24Estimated86% cheaper
taxi km
$1.23Estimated34% cheaper
utilities basic
$30.15Estimated86% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa on arrival
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Kathmandu compared with the US?
Your money goes about 4.5x further in Kathmandu than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Kathmandu cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Kathmandu is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 77% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Kathmandu.
How does rent in Kathmandu compare with New York City?
Rent in Kathmandu is about 96% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Kathmandu?
Groceries in Kathmandu are about 76% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 82% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Kathmandu
Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, a Himalayan-valley city of about 1.44 million sitting at roughly 1,400 meters in a bowl ringed by mountains, and the country's dominant political, commercial, and cultural hub. The economy combines tourism (anchored by trekking and mountaineering logistics), remittances, NGOs, and a growing IT-services sector serving foreign clients. Relocators should weigh a subtropical highland climate with mild temperatures year-round, English used widely in business and tourism alongside Nepali, and severe air-quality issues in winter when temperature inversions trap pollution in the valley. Infrastructure (roads, power, water) is unreliable, the international airport is a single congested runway, and a small but established expat community is concentrated in development work, remote roles, and the tourism industry.
Subtropical highland climate with heavy monsoons (June-September)Internet: 4G/fiber increasingly available but unreliable during peak hoursLarge established expat/nomad community with coworking spaces and social networksPoor walkability outside tourist zones; taxis/scooters essentialExceptional food scene: momos, dal bhat, international cuisine very affordableVibrant nightlife in Thamel with bars, clubs, and live music venuesMultiple coworking spaces catering to digital nomadsAir pollution concerns; street safety requires local caution at night
👑
See the full breakdown — free
20,748members624joined this month
or
No password needed. Takes ~30 seconds.
More cities in Nepal
Cities with a similar cost of living
Comparable to Kathmandu — worth a look if you're weighing alternatives.