How cheap is Nepal?
By Ross. Filed in Nepal |
On the lead-up to my trip I was constantly told India would be the cheapest place I would ever visit and it turned out to be true! So when I decided to go to Nepal I must admit to not looking forward to the prospect of having to spend some “real money”. I knew a few people who had been there recently and they assured me it was cheap. However, people’s opinion of “cheap” differs so here is a backpacker’s guide to how cheap Nepal is.
At the time of my visit, the exchange rate of 1 GBP equaled 120 NPR. I will put the cost in both.
Accommodation
The price of budget accommodation varied from area to area. It was possible to find a room at anything around 400-600 NPR (3/5gbp). It is hard to find a single room so if you are travelling on your own it is fairly pricey. Splitting the cost with someone makes all the difference. For that price you will get a double bed, private bathroom (hot water not guaranteed) and a fan. In peak tourist season in Nepal air con is not necessary. In fact, neither was a fan as it was freezing!
Food
Like in all countries it is much cheaper to eat the local dishes in Nepal. Unless you have eaten veggie momos while you are here you have not been to Nepal as far as I am concerned. A typical meal of a main curry dish, rice and naan should cost you about 300 NPR (2.5gbp). As in India, Western food is easy enough to get but fairly expensive. A trip to the amazing Pumpernickel German bakery will set you back 150 NPR (1.5 gbp) for just a bagel and coffee, but it is worth it.
Alcohol
Unlike India, alcohol is easy to find and pretty much any type you like is available. Most beers are European and slightly expensive at 200 NPR (1.75 gbp). Cocktails tended to start at 300 NPR (2.5gbp).
Water/Soft drinks
A litre of water will cost a mere 10 NPR (15/20p gbp) and depending on where you are a soft drink with your meal costs anything from 50-70 NPR (0.4-0.6 gbp).
Travel
There are no trains in Nepal so all journeys are made via bus or shuttle taxi. Those who like me are of a scared disposition should always take the shuttle taxi!
The journey from the Indian border to Kathmandu (six hours) cost 560 rupees (4.60gbp). The local bus would have cost 400 rupees (3.3 gbp). However, if you ever see a story in your newspaper about Nepal it will normally contain the words “bus”, “mountain”, and “dead”. They don’t even bother removing the wrecked vehicles from the side of the mountain. It is probably a ploy to try to scare tourists into paying the extra 160 rupees.
A journey between the two major cities in Nepal: Kathmandu to Pohkara, takes seven hours and costs 500 rupees (4.60gbp).
That’s the basic information that you need to know for Nepal. It’s up to you what you wish to spend your money on. From trips to souvenirs there are endless ways to spend your cash in Nepal, the main cost being on trekking in the Himalayas and buying fake North Face gear. Here’s a brief insight on how I spent my money and the costs involved:
- Poon Hill Trek (six days)……………20,475 NPR / 175 GBP
- Thermal clothing for trek…………… 800 NPR / 6.6 GBP
- Flask for trek ………………… 300 NPR/ 3.3 GBP
- Thermal gloves for trek…………………………… 150 NPR/ 1.3 GBP
- Thermal socks for trek ……………………… 200 NPR/ 1.8 GBP
- Cashmere scarves……………………………… 375 NPR / 3.2 GBP
- DVD box set …………………. 500 NPR / 4.2 GBP
- Hour of internet………………… 75 NPR/0.60p
In a whole it’s fair to say that Nepal is the perfect budget backpacker location, probably more perfect that India in a lot of ways. In fact, it’s the perfect holiday location regardless of the budget. If you have it, you could spend a lot of money in Nepal and not just on trekking gear.
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Tags: Backpacking Nepal, Kathmandu