What a visitor's money does in Nepal: every guide rated from very cheap to very expensive, cheapest first, then the things that cost travellers money without buying anything — the ATM, the taxi, the SIM.
Nepalese Rupee (NPR) · 1 USD = 153 NPR · 1 EUR = 176 NPR
Cash country outside the tourist hotels. Change money at the licensed booths in Thamel, which post competitive rates — the banks are slower and no better. Indian rupees are accepted in some places but the 500 and 2,000 notes are not legal here.
Avoid: changing money on the street, assuming there is a machine above Pokhara, because there is not
Use: Nabil Bank, Standard Chartered, Himalayan Bank
The fee is about 500 rupees a withdrawal and the limit is 35,000, so take the maximum. Licensed exchange booths in Thamel post competitive rates and are the sensible place to change notes. Draw everything you need before a trek.
A short ride in Kathmandu & Pokhara: Rs 200–500 across town — very cheap
From the airport: Kathmandu airport to Thamel Rs 700–1,200
Cheaper than the unmetered taxis, whose meters are ornamental.
Dal bhat is the national meal and comes with unlimited refills, which is the point on a trek — "dal bhat power, 24 hour" is a joke every guide makes and means it. Momos everywhere, steamed or fried. And Newari food in Patan, which is a separate cuisine and is far less known than it should be.
The cost rating is this site's own, for a visitor, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in. The general rules — the conversion prompt, shoulder season, the airport taxi — are in budget travel tips.
