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Saving & Budgeting

Emergency fund, savings rate, sinking funds, the monthly money review, and the silent leaks that drain a Kathmandu paycheck.

  • 17 min read

    What Dashain actually costs a Kathmandu family of four in 2083: the Rs 40,000 version and the Rs 1.2 lakh version

    Two Dashain budgets for a Kathmandu family of four, priced from Kalimati, NOC and DoTM rates. The lean one still exceeds the lowest civil-service festival expense.

    GuideNepalKathmanduBudgetingFamilyPersonal Finance
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  • 14 min read

    Paid the manpower agency and never flew: the refund Section 20 guarantees, and how to file at DoFE

    If the agency did not send you within three months of your labour permit, Section 20(2) owes you every rupee back plus 25 percent a year, inside 30 days.

    GuideNepalForeign EmploymentLegalConsumer ProtectionScams
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  • 3 min read

    Kharchapatra is now on Google Play — the Android app for Nepali personal finance

    Kharchapatra's Android app is live on Google Play: statement imports, budgets, goals, encrypted offline storage and biometric lock, synced with the web dashboard.

    AnnouncementKharchapatraProductNepalPersonal Finance
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  • 10 min read

    Rs 21 kharba in remittance came home this year. Here is the receiving family's playbook

    Nepal received Rs 2,120 billion in remittance in 11 months while savings rates fell to 2.75%. What the family at home should do with the money, step by step.

    GuideNepalRemittanceForeign EmploymentSavingBudgeting
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  • 13 min read

    Your savings account pays 2.75%. Inflation is 5.22%. What a year of that costs

    Nepali banks pay 2.75% on savings while inflation runs 5.22%. When the real return went negative, what Rs 1 lakh loses in a year, and the 1pp you can claim.

    GuideNepalSavingBankingNRB
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  • 16 min read

    Rs 25,000 at a time: how Nepal's problematic cooperative refund actually works

    Nepal started refunding problematic cooperative depositors in May 2026. The priority ladder, the Rs 25,000 instalments, the 35-day claim window, and who gets nothing.

    GuideNepalCooperativeSahakariDepositorsConsumer Protection
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  • 9 min read

    A-class vs B-class vs C-class bank in Nepal: does it matter for your FD or savings account?

    Class A, B, and C banks in Nepal differ in paid-up capital and regulatory tier, not deposit-insurance coverage. What actually changes for your FD or savings account.

    GuideNepalBankingSavingNRBFD
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  • 8 min read

    How much does Teej actually cost? What's provable, and what nobody has ever measured

    Saree prices, bangle sales, and vegetable spikes around Teej in Nepal are documented. A total household budget figure isn't. Here's what the data actually shows.

    GuideNepalFestivalsBudgetingTeejPersonal Finance
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  • 10 min read

    What going to Japan actually costs from Nepal: language school vs SSW, lakh by lakh

    The language-school route costs Rs 12–13.5 lakh in year one from Nepal. The SSW worker route should cost a fraction of that. The lakh-by-lakh math, sourced.

    GuideNepalJapanForeign EmploymentStudy AbroadMigration
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  • 9 min read

    The real cost of chasing a Loksewa job: coaching fees, attempts, and the opportunity-cost math

    Coaching runs Rs 3,000–13,500 and forms Rs 300–1,200, but two years of full-time prep costs Rs 7–10 lakh once rent and foregone salary count. The honest math.

    GuideNepalLoksewaCareerSalaryPersonal Finance
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  • 11 min read

    NEA electricity tariff slabs decoded: why crossing 20 units changes your whole bill

    Nepal's NEA domestic tariff, decoded: the free 20 units for 5A homes, the Rs 3 retro-charge past it, the service-charge staircase, and the new 5% VAT above 50 units.

    GuideNepalElectricityNEAHousehold Budget
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  • 12 min read

    Job switch vs staying: how much of a raise justifies changing jobs in Nepal?

    A raise from switching jobs in Nepal can shrink fast: a tax return you must now file, a paused SSF medical clock, pay-in-lieu of notice. The real net, worked out.

    GuideNepalSalaryTaxCareer
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  • 9 min read

    The real cost of a 'free' bank account in Nepal

    A 'free' Nepali savings account still drips Rs 1,000-1,500 a year in SMS, debit-card and app fees. But the below-minimum penalty everyone fears doesn't exist here.

    GuideNepalBankingSavingFees
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  • 11 min read

    Dhukuti in Nepal: how it works, the real return, and when it collapses

    Dhukuti promises above-bank returns from a circle of people you trust. How the bidding really works, why it is banned under Section 14A, and when it collapses.

    GuideNepalDhukutiSavingCommitteeRisk
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  • 8 min read

    Minimum wage in Nepal 2082/83: the monthly, daily and hourly floor, and who it covers

    Nepal's minimum wage is Rs 19,550 a month from Shrawan 2082: basic Rs 12,170 plus Rs 7,380 dearness allowance. The daily and hourly floor, and who it covers.

    GuideNepalSalaryLabour LawIncome
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  • 8 min read

    Overtime, allowances and the Labour Act: what legally counts toward your pay in Nepal

    Overtime in Nepal is 1.5x basic, capped at 4 hours a day and 24 a week. What the Labour Act 2074 counts as remuneration, and which allowances dilute your SSF.

    GuideNepalSalaryLabour LawPayroll
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  • 9 min read

    Your annual profit bonus in Nepal: the 10% rule, the 6-vs-8-month cap, and who actually gets it

    The Bonus Act 2030 sends 10% of a profitable firm's net profit to staff, capped at 6-8 months' salary. Who qualifies, when it pays, and why a loss year means zero.

    GuideNepalSalaryLabour LawBonus
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  • 7 min read

    Living on one income in Kathmandu: a single-earner family budget that actually holds

    One salary, a family of four, Kathmandu prices. A line-by-line single-income budget, why school fees decide it, and the bigger buffer a sole earner needs.

    GuideNepalBudgetingKathmanduFamily
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  • 8 min read

    EPS Korea: what it really costs to go from Nepal, and how to fund it

    Going to Korea via EPS costs about Rs 1.5 lakh all-in, including the air ticket. The exam fee, medical, welfare fund, and why a lakhs-charging broker is a scam.

    GuideNepalForeign EmploymentEPS KoreaMigrationIncome
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  • 9 min read

    What it actually costs to live in Kathmandu per month (2083)

    A real monthly cost-of-living breakdown for Kathmandu in 2083: rent, food, utilities, transport, school fees. One person ~Rs 35k, a family of four ~Rs 90k+.

    GuideNepalBudgetingKathmanduCost of LivingSaving
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  • 8 min read

    Why the dollar rate moves in Nepal: how NRB sets the exchange rate

    Nepal pegs the rupee to India at 1.60, but the dollar floats. How NRB derives the daily USD rate, why it keeps hitting records, and what you actually pay.

    GuideNepalNRBForexRemittance
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  • 11 min read

    FD rates have fallen across Nepal: where do you actually park money now?

    Bank FD rates in Nepal have slid from ~11% to about 4%, and the real return after tax and inflation is now negative. Where your money can actually keep up.

    GuideNepalSavingBankingInvesting
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  • 7 min read

    What inflation is quietly doing to your Rs 50,000 salary in 2083

    Inflation in Nepal looks tame at 2-3% a year, but it compounded to about 17% over four years. What that does to a Rs 50,000 salary that never got a raise.

    GuideNepalIncomeInflationSalary
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  • 8 min read

    A Kathmandu grocery basket in 2083 vs 2080: what the same Rs 5,000 buys now

    Cooking gas up 20%, fuel up a quarter, oil and meat sharply higher, sugar and vegetables flat. What the same Rs 5,000 grocery run buys in Kathmandu now vs 2080.

    GuideNepalSavingBudgetingCost of Living
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