Nepal’s rising cost of living is putting household incomes under growing pressure
For an ordinary Nepali household, the problem with rising prices is not simply that food, transport, rent, education and other necessities cost more than they did a few years ago. The bigger concern is whether household income has increased enough to keep pace with those costs. Official data suggest that it has not always done so. Nepal Rastra Bank’s National Salary and Wage Rate Index increased by 2.85 percent in the fiscal year 2024/25, while consumer prices increased by an annual average of 4.06 percent during the same fiscal year. In other words, the overall wage and salary index grew more slowly than consumer prices, indicating a decline in purchasing power at the aggregate level.
22-AUG-2026 12:47 PM
