Kathmandu, June 17 -- Kalpana Phuyal stands in the narrow alley outside her rented flat in Syuchatar, Kathmandu, balancing a bag of vegetables in one hand and her mobile phone in the other.

"A kilo of tomatoes cost me Rs70 even when the price is supposedly low," she says, her voice heavy with frustration. The 35-year-old works as an office helper in a nearby school, and with a family of five to care for, every rupee feels stretched to its limit.

"It has become difficult to arrange essential household needs," she says. "Edible oil, rent, children's school fees, everything's gone up. But our incomes haven't."

Phuyal's story is echoed across Nepal, particularly among working-class families.

Her husband drives for a private company, but t...