Engineer salary in Nepal: government, civil and software engineers

The Public Service Commission recruits engineers as gazetted third class officers in the Engineering Service. The starting basic salary is Rs 48,058 a month. The 10% incentive allowance adds Rs 4,806 and the dearness allowance Rs 5,000, so the first month comes to about Rs 57,864 before provident fund and tax. Each year of service adds a grade, up to a basic salary of Rs 60,874.

Promotion to senior divisional engineer moves the starting basic to Rs 53,611, and to superintending engineer Rs 62,466. Project, field and remote-area allowances are paid separately and vary by posting.

A sub-engineer, the post for diploma holders, is non-gazetted first class and starts at Rs 38,203 basic, about Rs 47,023 with allowances, rising to Rs 50,933. An assistant sub-engineer is non-gazetted second class and starts at Rs 36,192.

• There is no published scale. Consultancies, contractors and developers set pay by project and by the engineer's experience. We found no survey of private civil engineers' pay in Nepal.
• What job sites say. Kumari Job's 2026 guide puts private civil engineers between Rs 30,000 and Rs 100,000 a month, with fresh graduates at the lower end. It is an estimate and gives no source.
• The legal floor. The minimum wage of Rs 19,550 a month applies to engineers as to every employee. See minimum salary in Nepal for what must be paid on top.
• Site and project work. Engineers on hydropower, road and building sites are often paid a site allowance and given food and lodging, which a monthly salary figure does not show.

• Payscale (2026). Median for a software engineer in Nepal about Rs 505,000 a year, roughly Rs 42,000 a month; entry level about Rs 470,000 a year and mid-career about Rs 800,000. Self-reported, sample size not published.
• Levels.fyi, Kathmandu (updated 31 January 2026). Median total pay about Rs 1,065,000 a year, with the middle half between about Rs 628,000 and Rs 1,910,000. Self-reported, and weighted towards larger and foreign-facing companies.
• Job sites. Kumari Job's 2026 guide quotes Rs 25,000 to Rs 45,000 a month for a fresh graduate and Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000 with two to five years. Estimates, not a survey.
• Remote work for foreign companies pays more than local employment, sometimes several times more. No reliable published figure exists, so none is given here.

• The licence. Nobody may practise as an engineer in Nepal without registration with the Nepal Engineering Council, and since a 2022 amendment registration requires passing the Council's examination. The Council had 97,714 registered engineers in January 2026 (Edusanjal).
• Sector. Government pay is fixed, secure and comes with a pension or contribution fund. Private pay starts lower for most graduates and rises faster for those who specialise.
• Field. Software pay rises fastest with experience because the work can be sold abroad. Civil, electrical and mechanical pay follows the projects being built.
• Experience. In government each year adds one grade. In private companies the larger jumps come from changing employer or moving into project management.

1. 1Complete a bachelor's degree in engineering from a recognised institution. A diploma qualifies for sub-engineer posts.
2. 2Pass the Nepal Engineering Council examination and register. The registration certificate is asked for with the application.
3. 3Apply when the Public Service Commission advertises Engineering Service posts, or a provincial commission advertises seventh-level posts. Deadlines are on the Lok Sewa page.
4. 4Sit the written examination and the interview. The Lok Sewa preparation guide explains the stages.