“I need a website. How much will it cost?”

This is like asking, “How much does a house cost?” A bamboo hut costs different than a Bhaisepati mansion.

In Nepal, the web development market is wild. You can find excellent developers charging Rs. 50,000 and students charging Rs. 5,000. But often, the cheap option ends up costing more in the long run when it gets hacked or breaks.

Here is the realistic, transparent price breakdown for 2026.

1. The Essentials (Domain & Hosting)

Before you pay a developer, you need to pay for the infrastructure.

Domain Name

  • .com / .org / .net: Rs. 1,500 - Rs. 2,000 per year. (Purchased via international registrars or local resellers).
  • .com.np: FREE. Yes, it costs Rs. 0. You just need your Company Registration or Citizenship. (We highly recommend this for local SEO).

Hosting (The Land)

  • Shared Hosting: Rs. 3,000 - Rs. 8,000 / year. (Okay for small brochures).
  • Cloud/VPS Hosting: Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 40,000 / year. (Mandatory for E-commerce or high-traffic news portals).

2. Development Costs by Type

Type A: The “Digital Brochure” (Informational)

  • For: Consultants, Restaurants, NGOs, Small Offices.
  • Pages: Home, About, Services, Contact.
  • Tech: WordPress (Theme-based).
  • Freelancer Price: Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 30,000.
  • Agency Price: Rs. 40,000 - Rs. 80,000.
  • Verdict: Ensure it’s mobile-responsive. Don’t overpay for custom code here.

Type B: The Corporate Business Site

  • For: Construction companies, Manpower agencies, Colleges.
  • Features: Dynamic team pages, project galleries, downloadable PDFs, SEO foundation.
  • Tech: WordPress (Custom Elementor Pro or Bricks Builder).
  • Freelancer Price: Rs. 35,000 - Rs. 60,000.
  • Agency Price: Rs. 80,000 - Rs. 1.5 Lakhs.
  • Verdict: You are paying for “Design Trust.” A bad design here loses you tender bids.

Type C: E-commerce (Online Store)

  • For: Clothing brands, Electronics, Dropshipping.
  • Features: Product catalog, Cart, Checkout, eSewa/Khalti integration, Inventory management.
  • Tech: WooCommerce or Shopify.
  • Freelancer Price: Rs. 50,000 - Rs. 1 Lakh.
  • Agency Price: Rs. 1.5 Lakhs - Rs. 5 Lakhs+.
  • Verdict: Security is key. If customer data leaks, your business is dead. Do not look for “cheap” here.

Type D: Custom Web App / Portal

  • For: Job portals, News sites with 1M+ views, Fintech.
  • Tech: Laravel, React, Node.js (Not WordPress).
  • Price: Starts at Rs. 3 Lakhs and goes up to Rs. 20 Lakhs+.

3. Hidden Costs Nobody Tells You About

  1. Annual Maintenance (AMC): Websites break. Plugins need updates. Agencies charge 15-20% of the project cost annually for maintenance.
  2. Content Writing: “Content provided by client” usually means the site stays empty for 6 months. Professional copywriting costs Rs. 1,500 - Rs. 5,000 per page.
  3. Premium Licenses: Elementor Pro, WP Rocket, Advanced Custom Fields. These cost money. Ask if the developer includes them or if you have to buy them.

Freelancer vs. Agency: Who to Hire?

  • Hire a Freelancer If: Your budget is under Rs. 40k, and you can communicate exactly what you want.
  • Hire an Agency If: Your budget is Rs. 1 Lakh+, and you need a reliable partner who won’t disappear during exam season (a common issue with student freelancers).

Conclusion: Set Your Budget First

Don’t ask “How much?” Say “I have Rs. 50,000. What is the best website you can build for this?”

A good developer will tell you exactly what features fit that budget. A bad one will promise you Amazon.com for Rs. 20k and disappear.

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