Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
Learn more

Erbil Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
Learn more

Ulaanbaatar Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Ulaanbaatar

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Erbil $958
Ulaanbaatar $1,192

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Ulaanbaatar $1,911

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Ulaanbaatar $2,630

Erbil is about 20% cheaper than Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Erbil and Ulaanbaatar are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Ulaanbaatar 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

18.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

14.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

32.09%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.36 MNT 8,485

37.29%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.87 MNT 3,143

2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.58 MNT 2,073

-43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$2.32 MNT 8,321

147.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.42 MNT 5,110

-24.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.99 MNT 3,541

-32.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$2.16 MNT 7,760

-29.63%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$2.07 MNT 7,441

-22.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

-42.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

-7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

91.39%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

-68.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$2.35 MNT 8,428

-57.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-72.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

-76.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.70 MNT 2,525

-7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.04 MNT 3,723

-39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$1.72 MNT 6,182

-62.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.79 MNT 2,836

-34.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.63 MNT 5,867

34.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

4.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.45 MNT 5,200

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.75 MNT 6,307

2.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.27 MNT 958

81.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

135.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$0.51 MNT 1,844

227.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$0.55 MNT 1,986

190.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

-10.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.16 MNT 4,182

-50.86%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

-37.83%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

-51.03%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

57.10%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

60.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

77.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

-17.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

-25.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

127.12%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$798 MNT 2.9M

-63.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

-67.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

-67.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

-13.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$102 MNT 366.6K

-40.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$186 MNT 668.4K

-67.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$636 MNT 2.3M

-33.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$469 MNT 1.7M

-42.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

-57.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$985 MNT 3.5M

-58.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

-41.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

-39.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$589 MNT 2.1M

-11.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

10.32

-75.48%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4% 72.8% $198

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5% 33.9% $59

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5% 26.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7% 37.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7% 123% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 58.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $636 in Ulaanbaatar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Ulaanbaatar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $32 in Ulaanbaatar. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Erbil vs $233 in Ulaanbaatar – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

5 h ahead of Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,001 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Erbil Ulaanbaatar 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Ulaanbaatar

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

Erbil vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ulaanbaatar is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $1,788 in Ulaanbaatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $636 in Ulaanbaatar.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Ulaanbaatar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil and $32 in Ulaanbaatar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Erbil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Erbil. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ulaanbaatar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.