FIRE Number for Kathmandu, Nepal

A small furnished apartment in an ordinary residential neighborhood like Baneshwor or Koteshwor, away from the pricier expat belt, with home cooking supplemented by dal bhat and momos at local eateries. Microbuses and the occasional Pathao or InDrive ride cover daily movement. Out-of-pocket clinic visits plus a basic local hospitalization policy handle health needs, and valley hikes and budget treks are cheap and close at hand. Air pollution, winter cold, and chaotic traffic are the real daily tradeoffs, but the cost base is remarkably low.

A furnished modern apartment in the expat-favored belt of Jhamsikhel, Sanepa, or Lazimpat, with regular meals out at mid-range restaurants and the well-known cafe scene, and grocery runs to Bhatbhateni for imported goods. Daily ride-hailing or an owned scooter covers transport. A mid-level local health policy plus comfortable self-pay access to the top private hospitals removes the main worry. A gym, a cafe habit, and frequent weekend trekking all fit, with clear margin left over at Kathmandu's prices.

A large diplomatic-grade house with a garden in Budhanilkantha, Maharajgunj, or Baluwatar, staffed by a live-in housekeeper-cook, a driver, and part-time garden and security help. A private SUV handles mountain roads, and international health cover — with medical evacuation to Delhi, Bangkok, or Singapore — is the key safeguard given Kathmandu's thin local tertiary care. Dining reaches the city's best restaurants and five-star hotels, though the fine-dining scene is genuinely limited, and premium imports carry a real markup. Club memberships, luxury lodge-based trekking, and frequent international travel fill out the budget. Nepal's thin luxury market caps how much can be spent locally, so this level typically keeps a Kathmandu base for Himalayan access and travels widely.