Send Money from the USA to Nepal: What It Really Costs in 2026
Money from abroad is close to a third of Nepal's economy, and the rupee is pegged to India's, so it moves against the dollar only as far as the Indian rupee does. The part you control is the service you choose, and the 11 we price on this route are far from alike.
Start Here
Send with a licensed money transfer app, pay from your US bank account, and compare the all-in cost on your own amount. For $1,000 into a Nepalese bank account, Taptap Send's standing price of $6.62 all-in is the lowest we hold; Sendwave at $7.37 and Remitly at $8.01 are next.
The Nepalese rupee follows the Indian rupee at a fixed ratio, so USD/NPR rises and falls exactly as USD/INR does, and nobody can call those moves in advance. The lever you control is the service.
What the Services Quote Right Now
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Sending 1,000.00 USD → NPR from the US · Estimated typical cost · bank deposit, bank-funded
Showing 11 of 17 services we can price for USD → NPR
Estimates only, not live quotes. "Recipient Gets" is for a bank deposit funded from a bank account, on today's mid-market rate: for a "provider quote", minus the rate markup and fee from that provider's own recent quote; for an estimate, minus the provider's typical markup and fee. Rows are ranked by total cost, the fee plus the rate markup, so a fee charged on top of the amount sent counts against a provider even when its recipient gets more. Real cost varies by corridor, amount, delivery and payment method, and promotions (e.g. new-customer offers can be cheaper). Tap a provider to get its live rate before sending. The dot by each provider shows confidence, and the label says how the figure was grounded: "corridor estimate" is a rate we measured for this exact pair; a currency-code estimate (e.g. "USD estimate") is measured for that source currency but not this destination; "typical estimate" is the provider's general figure across all its corridors; "provider quote" is that provider's own recent quote for this pair, its markup and fee applied to today's mid-market rate exactly as its calculator shows them, and a provider whose quote depends on a payment or delivery choice is left out here and priced on its own calculator. Margins are verified against live provider quotes and the World Bank Remittance Prices database; the date above is the most recent collection. Some “Send money now” buttons are partner links: we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you, and rows are ranked by cost whatever the link. See how we collect these prices and our advertising disclosure.
Same Dollars, Different Prices
Each figure is the whole cost of a bank deposit paid from a US bank account: the fee plus what the service keeps by giving fewer rupees than the mid-market USD/NPR rate when it quoted.
| Service | Rate and fee at $1,000 | Cost shape | $200 | $500 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taptap Send | 149.48 NPRNo fee | 0.66% rate, no fee | — | — | $6.62 | $33.09 |
| Sendwave | 150.11 NPR$5.00 fee | 0.24% rate + $5.00–$25.00 | — | — | $7.37 | $36.87 |
| RemitlyDelivered by bank deposit | 149.27 NPRNo fee | 0.80% rate + $0.00–$1.99 | ≈$3.58 | $4.00 | $8.01 | $40.03 |
| InstaremPaid by ACH/Direct Debit | 148.96 NPRNo fee | 0.94–1.03% rate, no fee | ≈$2.06 | ≈$5.10 | $10.03 | $47.15 |
| Western UnionDelivered by direct to bank, paid by bank account | 149.1 NPR$1.99 fee | 0.91% rate + $1.99 | ≈$3.79 | ≈$6.53 | $11.08 | $47.51 |
| Ria Money TransferDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account | 148.92 NPR$1.75 fee | 1.03% rate + $1.75 | ≈$3.80 | ≈$6.90 | $12.07 | $53.40 |
| WorldRemitDelivered by bank deposit | 148.72 NPR$0.99 fee | 1.17–1.32% rate + $0.99 | ≈$3.61 | ≈$7.28 | $12.64 | $59.30 |
| WiseDelivered by bank deposit, paid by connected bank account (ACH) | 150.38 NPR$13.82 fee | 0.06% rate + $4.18–$62.03 | ≈$4.29 | ≈$8.09 | $14.41 | $65.00 |
| MoneyGram | 149.48 NPR$8.00 fee | 0.66% rate + $8.00–$50.00 | — | — | $14.56 | $82.76 |
| Paysend | 147.68 NPR$1.99 fee | 1.86% rate + $1.99 | ≈$5.67 | ≈$11.25 | $20.54 | $94.91 |
| XoomDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account (ACH) | 146.41 NPR$4.99 fee | 2.70% rate + $0.00–$4.99 | ≈$10.26 | $18.36 | $31.86 | $135.04 |
From our current data, collected November 3–6, 2026, for a transfer from the US paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account. Each rate is the service's margin from that data on the latest mid-market rate, 1 USD = 150.47 NPR on November 6, 2026, so it moves with the market. Wise’s prices from the US are for paying it from a connected US bank account (ACH). Wise also takes payment by wire transfer, at a different fee. A dash means the provider has no quote at that amount whose fee and rate we can state. ≈ marks a price between two amounts the provider quoted, where its fee and rate are known to hold. How we collect these prices.
Instarem and WorldRemit charge a different rate margin at different amounts, so their costs can fall as the amount rises rather than climbing steadily.
- Pangea doesn’t price a transfer paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account on this route, only other ways to pay or receive.
- We hold no current quote for this route from BOSS Money, OFX, Revolut and XE.
Each cell totals the fee and the rate margin, in US dollars, for rupees paid into a Nepalese bank account. Green picks out the lowest standing price at each amount, and a promotional price is labelled rather than picked out.
In our current data the same $1,000 costs $6.62 all-in through Taptap Send and $31.86 through Xoom. In rupees, every $10 of difference is about 1,500 rupees that never arrive; on a monthly transfer, a $10 gap adds up to about 18,000 rupees a year.
Wise keeps its rate within a fifth of a percent of mid-market and puts the rest of the price in a visible fee. That makes the price easy to read, not necessarily low: judge it on the all-in column like everything else.
Pegged to India Since 1993
Nepal has fixed its currency to India's since 1993, at 1.60 Nepalese rupees to one Indian rupee, and Nepal Rastra Bank holds it there. India is by far Nepal's biggest trading partner, and the open border means rupees from both countries change hands every day, so a fixed ratio takes the currency risk out of most of what Nepal buys.
The practical result: USD/NPR moves only when the dollar moves against the Indian rupee. Nothing happening in Kathmandu changes it. The dollar still moves against the Indian rupee, by more than 10% between early 2025 and mid-2026, and nobody can call those moves in advance, so holding a transfer back for a better rate is a guess.
Close to a Third of the Economy Arrives From Abroad
Remittances came to about 32% of Nepal's GDP in 2025, up from 26% in 2024, by the World Bank's figures, one of the highest shares anywhere. In the fiscal year that ended in mid-July 2026 they grew by more than a third in rupee terms, by Nepal Rastra Bank's count.
Because so much depends on that money, the central bank decides who may pay it out. Its published list holds commercial and development banks and the remittance companies it has licensed. Hundi, the informal network that settles money outside the banks, is illegal, and a transfer through it has no protection if it goes wrong.
Bank, Counter or eSewa
- Bank deposit
- The account number, the account name as the bank holds it, and the bank and branch. It is what the table above prices. Get the details in writing rather than over the phone; one misread digit can send the money back.
- Cash pickup
- Our lowest standing price for $1,000 in cash is Remitly at $11.96, and MoneyGram at $13.95 and Western Union at $16.03 are the next. Payout agents reach well beyond the Kathmandu valley into hill and Terai towns, which makes cash the practical route for a family far from a bank branch. The recipient brings the reference number and photo ID.
- eSewa or Khalti
- Nepal's best-known digital wallets. A few transfer services pay into them through partnerships Nepal Rastra Bank has approved, so ask the service before you count on it; a bank deposit or cash pickup is the standard route.
Saturday has long been Nepal's weekly holiday. In April 2026, during a fuel shortage, the government moved to a Saturday-and-Sunday weekend and Nepal Rastra Bank told banks to close on both days. A deposit sent on a Friday in the US can therefore wait until Monday in Kathmandu, and Dashain and Tihar close banks for longer. If the date matters, send early in the week.
Nepal, Question by Question
What is the cheapest way to send money from the USA to Nepal?
A licensed money transfer app paid from your US bank account, delivered to a bank account in Nepal. On $1,000, our latest quotes have Taptap Send lowest, at $6.62. The rupee moves against the dollar with the Indian rupee, which nobody can call in advance, so the service you choose is the part of the cost you control.
Why does the Nepalese rupee move with the Indian rupee?
Because it doesn't float on its own. Nepal has pegged the rupee to the Indian rupee since 1993 at a fixed 1.60 NPR per INR, and Nepal Rastra Bank maintains it. On November 6, 2026 the market rates divided out at 1.599, within 0.05% of the official peg. So USD/NPR moves only when the dollar moves against the Indian rupee.
Is a service that converts at the mid-market rate always the better deal?
No. Wise shows its price almost entirely as a fee, with a rate near mid-market, which makes it easy to read. An open rate and a low total are different things: a small margin in the rate can come to less than a large fee, and the reverse holds too. Compare the all-in cost.
Who is allowed to pay out remittances in Nepal?
Only institutions licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank: commercial and development banks and the remittance companies it has licensed, all on a list the central bank publishes. Sending through an unlicensed hundi agent is illegal in Nepal and leaves you with no recourse if the money disappears.
When do Nepal’s banks close?
Banks there have long closed on Saturdays, and in April 2026 a fuel shortage led the government to add Sunday, with Nepal Rastra Bank instructing banks to shut on both days. Anything with a deadline should leave the US by midweek.
Is there a US tax on sending money to Nepal?
A 1% federal excise tax has applied since the start of 2026, but only when you pay for the transfer with cash, a money order, a cashier’s check or a similar paper instrument. A bank account or a US card avoids it. On $1,000 that tax would be $10, against $6.62 all-in for the lowest standing price in our current data, through Taptap Send.
Key Takeaways
- Taptap Send quotes the lowest standing price on $1,000 to Nepal, $6.62; check your own amount before sending.
- The rupee is pegged to India's at 1.60 and sat at 1.599 on November 6, 2026: it moves against the dollar only as the Indian rupee does, so put your effort into the service rather than the timing.
- An open rate is not the same as a low total; compare the all-in cost.
- Use a service licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank; hundi is illegal and unprotected.
- Nepal's banks were told in April 2026 to close on Saturday and Sunday, so send early in the US week.
Find Your Price to Nepal
A monthly amount or a one-off sum: see which service delivers the most rupees on yours.
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Today’s mid-market dollar-to-rupee rate, which tracks the Indian rupee through the peg.
Sources & References
- Nepal Rastra Bank: exchange rates and licensed remittance companies
- World Bank: Personal remittances received (% of GDP), Nepal
- The Himalayan Times: Banks to follow two-day weekly holiday (April 2026)
- World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide
- IRS: Excise taxes
Provider pricing and exchange rates are set by the companies named and can change. Figures in this guide are checked against these official sources. Always confirm the live rate before you transact.