Total Cost Breakdown of our 15 day Itinerary for the EBC and Gokyo Trek in Nepal

Whenever I travel I write down all of my spending for absolutely everything. I really like to be aware of how much I spend to keep myself in check. Prior to going to a new location I also like to check the average costs in that country. When researching the Gokyo and EBC trek I had a really hard time finding out costs. We did this trek from March 14-28, 2023.
Note $100 rupees = $1cad = $0.76usd

Flight Cost and Booking
I will be providing Average Daily Costs, Cost Breakdowns, and everything in between. This is based on our 15 day trek itinerary not including our international flights to Nepal or the time in the rest of the country. This breakdown includes our return flights to Lukla.

Flights are at a set rate during all time periods and cost $180usd for one way. If you use a travel agency, they will usually charge an extra $10-20. We booked our own flights online. From KTM to Lukla we booked with Yeti Airlines online about 3 weeks in advance. We chose the earliest flight at 6:15am. We booked our return flight 2 days prior to the day we were flying out, online with Summit Air. We wanted to have flexibility and we heard from several sources that these flights do not book out, so we took the chance of booking last minute. If for some reason they are full, message some travel agencies as they usually buy out some seats in advance to sell to people.
Tip: always book the earliest flight because there is a high rate of cancellations and delays. The weather is generally the best in the morning, so you have a higher chance of leaving on time. We were lucky that both of our flights left on time. On our flight out we made sure to check the weather as we booked last minute.

Our 15 Day Trip Itinerary
15 day trek- Lukla ?? Namche Bazaar ?? Machermo ?? Gokyo ?? Chola Pass ?? EBC ?? Lukla

Guide & Porter Cost
We hiked independently and did not use a guide or porter. If you are using a guide and/or porter you will roughly add $25usd for a guide and $15usd a day for a porter. This is the cost that will be split for your whole group. After talking to the guides and porters this cost does not change due to the size of the group. The bigger the group the lower the individual’s portion of this daily cost. Sounds unfair for the guide!

Cost per Category Based on a 15 day trek per Person
- These costs are based on 1 person with no guide or porter who is travelling with a partner.
Lukla Flights (return): $360usd
Food/Drinks: $286usd
Government Permit Card: $22usd
Permit for Sagaramatha National Park: $15usd
Accommodation: $25usd
Rental Gear: $25usd
Miscellaneous: $20usd (wifi, charging, toiletries on trail, etc.)
Total: $753usd
- My rental gear included one pole, a sleeping bag, and a jacket)
- Rooms were on average $3.80usd (500 rupees) total. On the Gokyo side some rooms were free if you ate dinner and breakfast. This was prior to April 1- the busy season.

Daily Average Costs
Lukla Flights: $24usd
Food: $20usd
Accommodation: $1.70usd
Rental Gear: $1.70usd
Permit/Trek Card: $2.50usd
Misc/Extra: $1.30
Total: $50usd/day per person on average
Ways to Save Money and Our Spending Habits
Of course these costs can increase drastically if you are spending frivolously. We were budget conscious, but we still enjoyed hot drinks everyday and ate 3/day. Costs will increase if you are buying $3 coffees and baked goods, snacks at higher altitude destinations, getting wifi everywhere, etc. W
e did not buy wifi or charging at every teahouse, and we only showered near the end of the hike (it was too cold). We also bartered to add in free charging with the stay and some nights we had free rooms in the less visited destinations. We went in March, which is right before high season in April/May. This allowed us to barter a bit, it may be different in complete high season.
Here are ways to save money!
- Barter for your room or free charging in return to eating dinner and breakfast at the teahouse
- Buy boiled water instead of tea- then add your own!
- Do not buy plastic water bottles- treat your own water
- Do not buy wifi at every lodge- have a tech detox
- Buy essential toiletries from Kathmandu
- Buy snacks in Kathmandu or lower altitudes
- Bring facial wipes and wet wipes- showers are expensive
- Bring a power bank- to help with charging costs
How Much Money to Bring?
I absolutely hate having a lot of cash on me, but Nepal is definitely a cash economy. We could not use our credit card anywhere outside of Namche Bazaar. When you could use it, there was a $6-10 usd fee and there was connection issues.
I tried to bring all of the cash I needed from Kathmandu, but I ended up having to take more out in Namche (as I was nervous to run out). As you see from the daily average, it is about $50usd per day, but $24 of it is the flight cost (which is always online via credit card). I would say to take out enough cash to have at least $30 per day on the hike in case of over spending, emergency medicine, etc. Obviously if you know you over spend or will be buying a lot of extras bring more!
ATMs
You can find ATMs in Lukla and Namche Bazaar. I had to take out extra money in Namche and I found about 4 ATMs. 2 of them did not work for my card, 1 was out of money, and I was lucky with the other. However, it did charge me a ridiculous fee, so try to take out your money in Kathmandu!
Costs of Items on the Trek
Generally speaking, the farther you walk away from Lukla the more expensive everything will get. This is because a sherpa, yak or helicopter needs to transport it there! Additionally, we found items and food cost more in the more “touristy” towns. The Gokyo side was 10-15% cheaper than the traditional EBC route.

This being said, items didn’t change too much in cost, it was only a matter of a couple of dollars. For instance, the traditional dahl batt meal was 600 in Lukla/Namche and 900 in Gorakshep, and a chocolate bar difference was 200-350. Boiled water was 200 in Lukla/Namche and 600 + in Lobuche/Gorakshep and toilet paper went up from 150-350. As a general rule costs almost double from start of the hike to the top, with the exception of meals that go up around 30-40 %.
Rooms seemed to always be 500 rupees, with the exception of Lobuche and some teahouses in Gorakshep which were 1000 rupees. In this chart I will show the ranges from cheapest (start of the hike, to how much they were at a higher altitude)

Average Cost of Food and Drinks on the Trek
- Ranges are for Lukla/Namche vs Lobuche/Gorakshep
Boiled Water (1L): $200-600 rupees
Tea (1L): $600-1300 rupees
Daal Bat: $600- 1000 rupees
Snickers: $200-$350 rupees
Cup of Coffee: $150-270 rupees
Porridge: $450-$800 rupees
Momos: $500-$800 rupees
Pizza: $700-1000 rupees
Fried Noodles: $600-$900 rupees

Nepalese dal bhat is a staple on any trek in Nepal. It is amazing because you can eat as much as you want, so get it when you are really hungry. After eating, they come over and ask you for more servings! It is composed of white rice (bhat) and lentils (dal) and it is typically accompanied by a vegetable curry (tarkari), a mixture of spicy vegetables (pickles) and greens (sak). It is eaten with papadums in a large metal tray.
Menus on the Trail
• these are all from March 2023







Average Cost of Teahouses and Services
Rooms: $500-1000 rupees
Wifi: $200-$700 rupees
Phone Charging (hourly): $100-$400 rupees
Power Bank Charging: $300-$800 rupees
Showers: $300-$800 rupees

Note: several places had free wifi and charging in Lukla and Namche. This is where that ends!
Note: Sometimes the pipes freeze higher up, so be prepared to go days without showering. Many people do not shower at all during the trek or just do little towel baths or use wet wipes.
Check out my post on renting and buying trekking gear for average costs!

More Tips and Guides For Trekking In Nepal
Tips on picking a teahouse and getting the best room
Complete packing list for trekking in Nepal
Buying and renting trekking gear in Nepal a complete guide
Well documented blog. Useful in planning one’s track. Thank you
You’re helping me a lot with all the information of ebc and gokyo. Thank you very much
Glad its helpfull!