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Biratnagar, Nepal
Photo: Bijay Chaurasia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Biratnagar

Nepal · Asia · 244,750 people · Asia/Kathmandu · NPR

Biratnagar scores 42/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 1419 of 1501 cities. Expect about $800 per month (country-level estimate), no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 11.3 Mbps.

Biratnagar is Nepal's main industrial city and the capital of Koshi Province, a flat, hot Terai town a few kilometres from the Indian border at Jogbani. It is practical rather than scenic: bird-watching at Koshi Tappu and the hills above Dharan are the nearby escapes and flights to Kathmandu take under an hour, while summers are humid, the monsoon floods streets and little is aimed at foreigners.

  • Koshi Tappu bird reserve
  • Gateway to Dharan and the eastern hills
  • Jute mills and factories
  • Short flights to Kathmandu
Cost of living: 9.5 of 42 points (scores 85/100)Safety: 6.6 of 42 points (scores 60/100)Healthcare: 6.5 of 42 points (scores 58/100)Internet: 5.7 of 42 points (scores 51/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 42 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 0.6 of 42 points (scores 6/100)Climate: 5.6 of 42 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 0.0 of 42 points (scores 0/100)Quality of life: 3.8 of 42 points (scores 35/100)42
Balanced score
out of 100
Vibe check
  • Cost9.5
  • Safety6.6
  • Health6.5
  • Internet5.7
  • Visa3.8
  • Mobility0.6
  • Climate5.6
  • Air0.0
  • QoL3.8

Rank 1,419 of 1,501 · its cost is a national estimate, so Top 10 lists rank it after cities with a local price

For US nomads

  • US passport entry
    visa on arrival
    check the consulate before booking
  • Time vs New York
    11 hours ahead of New York
    0h of a 9–6 day overlap with Eastern time
  • Time vs Los Angeles
    14 hours ahead of Los Angeles
    0h of a 9–6 day overlap with Pacific time
  • Non-stop from the US
    0 US airports
    Wikipedia, 2026-10

Prices are in US dollars. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income; the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and state residency rules are worth a look before a long stay.

Eating out

OpenStreetMap, 2026-1116

78restaurants within 3 km

Mapped around the centre of Biratnagar: few restaurants mapped, which can also mean thin map coverage. A count of what is on the map, not a rating, and it does not affect the score.

How Biratnagar scores, factor by factor

Superscripts link to the source list at the bottom. Country-level figures apply to all of Nepal.

Cost of living

Monthly cost for one person (log-scaled, cheaper is better).
85
  • Monthly cost, one person: $8002 · country-level, 2026-09
  • Central one-bedroom rent: no data3 · city-level, 2026-09 — no city-level rent row in the WhereToEmigrate dataset

Safety

Homicide rate and political stability (country-level).
60
  • Homicide rate: 2.13 per 100k4 · country-level, 2020
  • Political stability: 57.8/1005 · country-level, 2025

Healthcare

WHO universal-health-coverage index and life expectancy (country-level).
58
  • UHC service coverage: 58/1006 · country-level, 2023
  • Life expectancy: 72.1 years7 · country-level, 2023

Internet

Median measured download and upload speed (M-Lab, city-level; the province or country aggregate where the city has too few tests).
51
  • Median download: 11.3 Mbps8 · city-level, 2024
  • Median upload: 13.6 Mbps8 · city-level, 2024
  • Tests measured: 1,2798 · city-level, 2024
  • Starlink: Unknown9 · country-level, 2026-10, not scored

Visa ease

How easily your passport gets in and stays: visa-free days, eTA, visa on arrival, e-visa or consular visa, plus a nomad visa and how affordable its income threshold is. Averages US, EU and UK passports until you pick yours.
34
  • Nomad visa: none listed10
  • Entry, US passport: visa on arrival11 · country-level, 2026-02
  • Entry, EU passport: visa on arrival11 · country-level, 2026-02
  • Entry, UK passport: visa on arrival11 · country-level, 2026-02

Getting there & around

Non-stop airport destinations (hub size) plus editorial walkability and transit ratings.
6
  • Non-stop destinations from BIR: 412 · city-level, 2026-10
  • Walkability: 2/513 · editorial, 2026-09
  • Public transit: 1/513 · editorial, 2026-09

Climate

Share of months that are comfortable: 59–82°F (15–28 °C) mean, at most 5.9 in (150 mm) rain, at most 85% humidity.
50
  • Comfortable months: 6 of 1214 · city-level, 2001–2020 normals

Air quality

Annual mean PM2.5 on a fixed scale: 5 µg/m³ (WHO guideline) scores 100, 50 µg/m³ or worse scores 0.
0
  • Annual mean PM2.5: 55.3 µg/m³15 · city-level, 2023

Quality of life

Human Development Index and English proficiency (country-level).
35
  • Human Development Index: 0.62217 · country-level, 2023
  • English proficiency: low18 · country-level, 2024

What does Biratnagar cost per month?

Total, one person$800country estimate
One-bedroom rent, centreno datacity-level rent unavailable
Country cost index (US = 100)22country

Can you stay legally?

Nomad visanone listed
Minimum income—
US passportvisa on arrival
EU passportvisa on arrival
UK passportvisa on arrival

Visa rules change often. Verify with the issuing government before you book.

Do you pay tax here on income from abroad?

Tax status · Nepal

Worldwide tax of 1%–29%; foreign-currency IT, consulting and content income of residents pays a flat 5%

Worldwide income

Residents are taxed on worldwide income at 1%–29% from mid-July 2026 (the top rate fell from 39%). Work done in Nepal is Nepali income even for non-residents, who pay a flat 25%. Residents not running a business pay a final 5% on foreign-currency pay for software, electronic or consulting services and social-media content. Capital gains pay 7.5%–10%. There is no wealth, inheritance or gift tax, and no digital nomad visa.

  • Remote work income

    Salary from a foreign employer or fees from foreign clients

    Taxed

    1%–29% progressive for residents; 25% flat for non-residents; a final 5% for qualifying foreign-currency service income

  • Investments and pensions

    Dividends, interest, gains, rent and pensions from abroad

    Taxed

    1%–29% progressive on foreign dividends, interest, rent and pensions; capital gains 7.5%–10%

  • Wealth

    Net wealth and inheritance

    No wealth tax

    No inheritance tax

Tax resident after
183 days a year
Top income tax rate
29%

On the nomad visa

Nepal has no digital nomad visa. In May 2025 the government's economic reform action plan proposed a 5-year multiple-entry nomad visa with a 5% income tax for holders staying over 186 days, but it was never enacted; this profile could not find the plan on opmcm.gov.np, and the Department of Immigration's visa list (October 2026) has no such category. The 2026/27 budget promised legal provisions to let people work from Nepal for foreign employers and a new immigration bill. Today the options are a tourist visa (at most 150 days per calendar year, work not allowed) or, for people aged 60 or over with US$20,000 a year of income, a residential visa (US$1,200 a year); residents are taxed on worldwide income.

Not yet reviewed by a person · compiled from official pages read on 2026-10-27

General information, not tax advice. Tax treaties, your citizenship and your home country's exit rules can change the answer. US citizens are taxed by the US wherever they live.

Airports and nonstop flights

Biratnagar is served by one airport.

AirportNonstop destinationsInternationalFrom US airports
BIRBiratnagar Airport400

Wikipedia airport pages as of 2026-10: seasonal routes included, charters and announced-but-not-started routes excluded.

What is the weather like through the year?

Comfortable months by our rule: Oct–Mar. Rank cities for Dec–Feb →

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean °F606776848686828280766963
Rain in0.20.40.92.158.514.910.69.32.70.20.1
Humidity %494132375369858686776557

Green temperatures mark months that meet the comfort rule (59–82°F, ≤5.9 in rain, ≤85% humidity). NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology at the city coordinates.

Where can you stay in Biratnagar?

Three ways to live here, and what each does to the monthly budget. Rents are the one-bedroom figures from the cost table; hotels and short lets are priced per night and cost more, most of all in high season.

OptionRent per monthMonthly totalNotes
One-bedroom outside the centre——No city-level cost here; the total is a national estimate.
One-bedroom in the centre——No city-level rent figure for this city.
Hotel or short let——For the first weeks or a stay under a month. Compare hotels on Navoy →

Monthly rents assume an unfurnished lease of six months or more; furnished monthly lets usually cost 20 to 50 percent more.

Cities with a similar profile

Also in Asia: Abbottabad, Agra, Ahmedabad, Ahvaz, Akita, Almaty

Ready to see Biratnagar for yourself?

Nostos tells you where. Navoy, the AI travel planner behind it, builds the trip: itineraries, places to stay and what to book before you land.

Opens on navoy.io.

The vibe

What people post about living in Biratnagar, read for its mood. It is a reading of opinions, not a fact, and it is not part of the score.

Mixed · 50Very little resident-voice content here; comments are mostly cricket fandom, concert praise, and shopping questions, so the living experience is largely unknown.

People praise
  • local music scene
  • cheap DJ and sound equipment shops
  • cricket fan enthusiasm
People warn about
  • hotel ad comments with sketchy service questions
  • few first-hand accounts of daily life
  • Content is mostly tourist-facing ads and event clips, not life there
  • Local shopping for audio gear gets positive mentions
  • Sports and music events draw the most local engagement
  • Not enough evidence on cost, internet, or safety for remote work

Read from 8 videos, 34 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-07; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to live in Biratnagar as a digital nomad?
A single person typically spends about $800 per month in Biratnagar (a country-level estimate for Nepal). That is a 85/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.
Is Biratnagar safe for digital nomads?
Biratnagar scores 60/100 on safety. Nepal records 2.13 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2020) and a political-stability score of 57.8/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.
Does Nepal have a digital nomad visa?
No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Nepal as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US get a visa on arrival.
How fast is the internet in Biratnagar?
Measured median download speed in Biratnagar was 11.3 Mbps (upload 13.6 Mbps) across 1,279 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.
Which airports serve Biratnagar and how many nonstop flights are there?
Biratnagar is served by Biratnagar Airport (BIR) with 4 nonstop destinations, of which 0 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-10.
When is the best time of year to be in Biratnagar?
The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 60°F (16°C) in Jan to 86°F (30°C) in May (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).
Biratnagar or Rourkela: which is better for digital nomads?
Rourkela is the city with the closest factor profile to Biratnagar in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

Sources

Dataset 2026.11.2, published 2026-11-09. Download the full dataset or read the methodology.

  1. 1.City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. City-proper figures; the per-city source URL is stored with the seed row.
  2. 2.2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Country-level monthly estimate used only where no city-level figure exists; cost_index kept for every city.
  3. 3.Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. monthly_cost_single_eur and rent_1br_center_eur, converted to USD at the ECB reference rate on the retrieval date (see ecb-frankfurter).
  4. 4.Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Police- or statistics-office-recorded rates reported to UNODC's crime-trends survey, latest year per country (2024 for most), both sexes, all ages; the United Kingdom uses England and Wales. Replaces the WHO modelled estimate wherever UNODC has a figure from 2018 or later; WHO's 2021 estimates ran several times above recorded figures for El Salvador and Honduras. Workbook data_cts_intentional_homicide.xlsx (July 2026) reduced by scripts/build-dataset/inputs/convert-unodc-homicide.py.
  5. 5.Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  6. 6.UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  7. 7.Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  8. 8.M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Median of daily median download/upload throughput over 2024 for the city aggregate; sample count is the number of tests. Speeds reflect user-initiated tests, not advertised plans.
  9. 9.Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. Retrieved 2026-10-07. Residential service status per country from the file Starlink's map loads. Grouped as on the map: launched or available = available; coming soon, pending regulatory approval or test = coming soon; blacklisted = not offered; unknown or excluded = unknown. Shown on city pages and as a ranker filter; not part of any score. Roaming and maritime plans can work in more places.
  10. 10.Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Programme name, minimum monthly income (EUR, converted to USD) and whether it leads to permanent residence. Values are directional; verify with the issuing government.
  11. 11.Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Days per visit where stated; 'visa free' without a limit is credited as unlimited; eTA, visa on arrival, e-visa and visa required are credited 0 days for scoring but shown by kind. The default US/EU/UK figures use the US, German and British passports.
  12. 12.Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-24. Distinct destination airports listed in each airport article's passenger table, resolved through Wikidata. Seasonal routes count; charters and routes announced but not yet flying are excluded. The as-of date is the newest article revision among the city's airports. Falls back to the OpenFlights snapshot when an airport has no article or table.
  13. 13.Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Judgment ratings, not measurements. Explained on /methodology.
  14. 14.NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). Retrieved 2026-09-22. T2M, PRECTOTCORR and RH2M at the city coordinates (0.5° grid). Monthly precipitation = mm/day × days in month.
  15. 15.SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-07. Annual 2023 PM2.5 for the 0.1° grid cell at the city centre, from satellite aerosol retrievals combined with a chemical transport model and ground monitors. Used only for cities with no WHO database row. Where the same country has WHO-measured cities, values are scaled by the median measured/satellite ratio there (corrects desert-dust overestimates in the Gulf). Across 811 cities with both, log-correlation with WHO values is 0.89 and the median difference 2 µg/m³.
  16. 16.OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. Retrieved 2026-10-02. Count of OpenStreetMap elements tagged amenity=restaurant within 3 km of the city centre coordinate. Measures how many restaurants are mapped, which tracks real density well where OpenStreetMap is well maintained (Europe, the Americas, East and Southeast Asia) and under-counts where it is not (parts of Africa and Central Asia).
  17. 17.Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  18. 18.EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Only the proficiency band is stored, transcribed by hand from the public ranking.