Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darkhan and Nalaikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $639 a month against $905 in Nalaikh, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nalaikh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Nalaikh
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Nalaikh Living Index

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Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$639

/mo nomad

Nalaikh

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Darkhan and in Nalaikh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Darkhan versus $905 in Nalaikh.

Darkhan $639
Nalaikh $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,049 in Darkhan versus $1,430 in Nalaikh.

Darkhan $1,049
Nalaikh $1,430

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,459 in Darkhan versus $1,956 in Nalaikh.

Darkhan $1,459
Nalaikh $1,956

Living in Darkhan costs roughly 29% less than in Nalaikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Darkhan 53% lower, Nalaikh 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 MNT 19.7K

$4.39 MNT 15.8K

24.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MNT 113.9K

$26.30 MNT 94.5K

20.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 MNT 20.0K

$4.49 MNT 16.1K

24.28%

Cappuccino

$2.36 MNT 8,481

$2.24 MNT 8,050

5.36%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MNT 3,135

$0.67 MNT 2,411

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MNT 2,032

$0.40 MNT 1,437

42.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 MNT 8,291

$1.40 MNT 5,034

65.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MNT 11.6K

$2.18 MNT 7,832

48.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MNT 5,326

$1.23 MNT 4,425

20.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,507

$0.87 MNT 3,114

12.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MNT 7,361

$1.60 MNT 5,735

28.12%

Eggs

$2.15 MNT 7,744

$2.14 MNT 7,695

0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

$12.58 MNT 45.2K

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 MNT 18.0K

$4.20 MNT 15.1K

18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 MNT 23.7K

$5.39 MNT 19.4K

22.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 MNT 10.7K

$3.12 MNT 11.2K

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,476

$2.39 MNT 8,583

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 MNT 13.2K

$3.82 MNT 13.7K

-3.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 MNT 11.1K

$2.75 MNT 9,873

12.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 MNT 2,705

$0.57 MNT 2,052

31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MNT 3,921

$1.01 MNT 3,630

7.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 MNT 6,187

$1.22 MNT 4,369

40.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,857

$0.62 MNT 2,238

27.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 MNT 6,205

$1.63 MNT 5,848

6.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

$8.53 MNT 30.7K

21.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MNT 5,150

$0.95 MNT 3,431

50.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 MNT 6,317

$1.62 MNT 5,826

8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 MNT 562

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.26 MNT 22.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 MNT 1,973

$0.55 MNT 1,980

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MNT 2,032

$0.56 MNT 2,001

1.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 MNT 22.5K

$2.47 MNT 8,859

153.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,025

$0.96 MNT 3,446

16.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.4K MNT 94.8M

$26.7K MNT 96.0M

-1.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.3K MNT 123.3M

$16.6K MNT 59.5M

107.14%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$72.1 MNT 259.2K

$69.2 MNT 248.5K

4.31%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.36 MNT 26.4K

$6.91 MNT 24.8K

6.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.42 MNT 48.2K

$11.33 MNT 40.7K

18.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 MNT 197.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.70 MNT 49.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 MNT 15.1K

$2.85 MNT 10.2K

47.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$783 MNT 2.8M

$125 MNT 449.2K

526.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,296 MNT 29.8M

$5,461 MNT 19.6M

51.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 MNT 289.7K

$60.8 MNT 218.6K

32.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 MNT 165.8K

$45.19 MNT 162.4K

2.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MNT 373.8K

$83.5 MNT 300.1K

24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 MNT 665.9K

$127 MNT 456.0K

46.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 MNT 1.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MNT 1.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 MNT 4.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 MNT 2.1M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,407 MNT 5.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$829 MNT 3.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$531 MNT 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

106.40%

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

Last update for Darkhan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nalaikh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Darkhan

$235 36.7%

Nalaikh

$211 23.3% 10.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Darkhan

$187 29.3%

Nalaikh

$142 15.7% 23.9% $45

Eating Out

Darkhan

$113 17.6%

Nalaikh

$91 10.1% 19.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darkhan

$93 14.5%

Nalaikh

$87 9.7% 5.9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Darkhan

$8.4 * 1.3%

Nalaikh

$61 6.7% 621% $52

Getting Around

Darkhan

$3.4 * 0.5%

Nalaikh

$10 1.1% 202% $6.8

Accommodation & Living

Darkhan

- * 0%

Nalaikh

$302 33.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Darkhan vs $26 in Nalaikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $211 per month, with Nalaikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🇲🇳 Nalaikh

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

Same time as Darkhan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,738

30,049

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Darkhan Nalaikh 210 km

From you

Darkhan
Nalaikh

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

Darkhan vs Nalaikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Nalaikh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $959 in Darkhan and $1,357 in Nalaikh to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $783 in Darkhan versus $125 in Nalaikh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nalaikh – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Darkhan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $639 in Darkhan versus $905 in Nalaikh, a $800 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Nalaikh. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.