Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erdenet and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$377

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erdenet and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $377 in Erdenet versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Erdenet $377
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $617 in Erdenet versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Erdenet $617
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $858 in Erdenet versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Erdenet $858
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Erdenet costs roughly 87% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Erdenet is 72% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

$17.75 A$25.40

-77.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.28 MNT 98.0K

$84.8 A$121

-67.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

$12.16 A$17.40

-66.45%

Cappuccino

$2.29 MNT 8,214

$3.93 A$5.62

-41.73%

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

$0.66 MNT 2,373

$3.14 A$4.49

-78.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MNT 1,454

$2.43 A$3.47

-83.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 MNT 6,100

$9.90 A$14.17

-82.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MNT 5,840

$8.29 A$11.86

-80.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 MNT 3,627

$1.55 A$2.21

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 MNT 3,281

$3.01 A$4.31

-69.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

$2.88 A$4.12

-1.04%

Eggs

$2.02 MNT 7,270

$5.44 A$7.79

-62.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.05 MNT 25.3K

$10.59 A$15.16

-33.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 MNT 24.4K

$9.61 A$13.76

-29.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.54 MNT 16.3K

$14.99 A$21.46

-69.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MNT 8,038

$4.15 A$5.94

-46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MNT 6,054

$3.05 A$4.37

-44.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 MNT 5,857

$3.30 A$4.72

-50.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 MNT 4,925

$4.76 A$6.81

-71.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 MNT 5,136

$3.04 A$4.34

-52.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MNT 3,040

$2.55 A$3.65

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 MNT 5,071

$2.48 A$3.55

-43.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MNT 3,539

$1.63 A$2.33

-39.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

$44.07 A$63.1

-93.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 MNT 20.4K

$12.43 A$17.79

-54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MNT 5,830

$5.33 A$7.63

-69.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 MNT 5,938

$5.16 A$7.38

-68.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 MNT 549

$3.84 A$5.50

-96.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.59 MNT 70.4K

$142 A$203

-86.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 MNT 2,209

$4.40 A$6.29

-86.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 MNT 1,546

$1.40 A$2.01

-69.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 MNT 2,689

$1.46 A$2.09

-48.63%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

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

$57.7 MNT 207.4K

$233 A$333

-75.19%

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

$2.86 MNT 10.3K

$27.28 A$39.04

-89.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.06 MNT 50.5K

$57.0 A$81.6

-75.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

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

$281 MNT 1.0M

$2,373 A$3,397

-88.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,474 MNT 8.9M

$30.5K A$43.6K

-91.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 MNT 782.9K

$4,228 A$6,051

-94.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Erdenet

$188 50.3%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 105% $197

Eating Out

Erdenet

$88 23.6%

Melbourne

$314 11% 256% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erdenet

$75 20%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 325% $242

Getting Around

Erdenet

$23 6.1%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 633% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Erdenet

- * 0%

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Erdenet

- * 0%

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Accommodation & Living

Erdenet

- * 0%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 1841% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $27.00 in Erdenet vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $385 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

3 h ahead of Erdenet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,866

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erdenet Melbourne 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Erdenet
Melbourne

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

Erdenet vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erdenet and Melbourne differ by about 656% in total monthly costs ($377 vs $2,852 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1841% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $281 in Erdenet versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $377 in Erdenet versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Erdenet and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 656% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.