Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Mongolia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mongolia: $1,161 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Australia
Mongolia
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,626
/mo nomad
🇲🇳 Mongolia
$1,161
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Mongolia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Mongolia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,161 in Mongolia, rent included.

  • Australia $2,626
  • Mongolia $1,161

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $1,847 in Mongolia, rent included.

  • Australia $3,810
  • Mongolia $1,847

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,532 in Mongolia, rent included.

  • Australia $4,994
  • Mongolia $2,532

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Mongolia ($376–$1,192), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 126% higher than in Mongolia on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Mongolia is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.65 A$25.09
$5.63 MNT 20.2K
213.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.2 A$121
$29.11 MNT 104.6K
192.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.09 A$15.77
$5.53 MNT 19.9K
100.54%
Cappuccino
$3.90 A$5.54
$2.42 MNT 8,712
61.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 A$4.05
$0.86 MNT 3,097
231.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 A$3.29
$0.57 MNT 2,057
305.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.53 A$10.70
$2.30 MNT 8,249
227.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.59 A$12.21
$3.37 MNT 12.1K
154.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 A$2.50
$1.36 MNT 4,895
29.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.81 A$3.99
$1.00 MNT 3,583
181.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 A$3.19
$2.07 MNT 7,423
8.21%
Eggs
$5.02 A$7.14
$2.06 MNT 7,417
143.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.87 A$14.03
$9.74 MNT 35.0K
1.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 A$13.25
$5.17 MNT 18.6K
80.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.86 A$21.13
$6.51 MNT 23.4K
128.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.82 A$5.43
$2.98 MNT 10.7K
28.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.92 A$4.16
$2.21 MNT 7,938
32.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 A$4.46
$3.67 MNT 13.2K
-14.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.81 A$6.84
$2.96 MNT 10.6K
62.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.80 A$3.98
$0.82 MNT 2,931
241.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 A$3.38
$0.88 MNT 3,171
170.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.37 A$3.37
$1.67 MNT 5,992
41.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 A$2.35
$0.76 MNT 2,739
117.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$39.13 A$55.6
$1.70 MNT 6,101
2201.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.93 A$19.80
$9.51 MNT 34.2K
46.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.96 A$7.05
$1.41 MNT 5,085
251.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 A$7.35
$1.76 MNT 6,313
193.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.42 A$3.44
$0.27 MNT 968
796.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.6 A$135
$16.52 MNT 59.4K
472.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 A$4.97
$0.51 MNT 1,847
584.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 A$2.27
$0.56 MNT 2,029
185.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.84 A$56.7
$6.41 MNT 23.1K
521.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 A$1.97
$1.16 MNT 4,172
19.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0K A$42.7K
$27.4K MNT 98.4M
9.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K A$36.6K
$31.7K MNT 113.8M
-18.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 A$292
$72.1 MNT 259.1K
184.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.33 A$40.29
$7.11 MNT 25.6K
298.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.8 A$83.6
$12.32 MNT 44.3K
377.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.7 A$79.1
$65.9 MNT 237.0K
-15.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.57 A$27.83
$17.40 MNT 62.5K
12.47%
Cinema Ticket
$15.38 A$21.86
$4.08 MNT 14.7K
276.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,145 A$3,050
$645 MNT 2.3M
232.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K A$26.1K
$8,038 MNT 28.9M
128.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.3 A$111
$79.2 MNT 284.6K
-1.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.3 A$80.0
$49.63 MNT 178.4K
13.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 A$164
$102 MNT 366.7K
12.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 A$175
$167 MNT 598.4K
-26.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,591 A$2,262
$630 MNT 2.3M
152.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,293 A$1,838
$459 MNT 1.7M
181.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,524 A$3,589
$1,598 MNT 5.7M
57.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 A$2,851
$947 MNT 3.4M
111.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,751 A$12.4K
$1,785 MNT 6.4M
390.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,260 A$8,901
$982 MNT 3.5M
537.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Australia
Mongolia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,984 A$5,664
$590 MNT 2.1M
575.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.93
9.6
-38.23%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mongolia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Australia
$1.3K
Mongolia
$459 64.5% $833
Groceries & Markets
Australia
$374
Mongolia
$222 40.7% $152
Eating Out
Australia
$297
Mongolia
$115 61.3% $182
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
$292
Mongolia
$92 68.7% $201
Clothing & Footwear
Australia
$168
Mongolia
$179 6.6% $11
Getting Around
Australia
$116
Mongolia
$21 81.9% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Australia
$86
Mongolia
$74 14.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $530 in Mongolia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $636 in Ulaanbaatar.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $449 in Mongolia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 161% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 180% more in Australia.

Public transport is 500% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 8.6 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Australia
🇲🇳 Mongolia
🕒 Local time
05:11 5:11 AM
02:11 2:11 AM
3 h behind Australia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,473,055
3,409,939
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,011 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Australia Mongolia 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Australia
  • Mongolia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Australia vs Mongolia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Australia more expensive than Mongolia?
Mongolia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 56% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $530 in Mongolia.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mongolia – part of why living there is about 56% cheaper overall.
Should I move to Australia or to Mongolia?
Mongolia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Australia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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