Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Mongolia

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,161 in Mongolia, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

India
Mongolia
🇮🇳 India
$399
/mo nomad
🇲🇳 Mongolia
$1,161
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India 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 India and in Mongolia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $1,161 in Mongolia.

  • India $399
  • Mongolia $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $1,847 in Mongolia.

  • India $639
  • Mongolia $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $2,532 in Mongolia.

  • India $879
  • Mongolia $2,532

Internal cost variation is higher in Mongolia: monthly costs span $376 to $1,192, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in Mongolia.

Living in India costs about 66% less than in Mongolia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Mongolia 15% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
India
Mongolia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.14 ₹204
$5.63 MNT 20.2K
-61.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.46 ₹996
$29.11 MNT 104.6K
-64.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.80 ₹362
$5.53 MNT 19.9K
-31.28%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ₹160
$2.42 MNT 8,712
-30.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₹36.05
$0.86 MNT 3,097
-55.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹14.63
$0.57 MNT 2,057
-73.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.87 ₹178
$2.30 MNT 8,249
-18.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ₹303
$3.37 MNT 12.1K
-5.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
Mongolia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.62 ₹59.3
$1.36 MNT 4,895
-54.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 ₹47.84
$1.00 MNT 3,583
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.63 ₹60.4
$2.07 MNT 7,423
-69.57%
Eggs
$0.96 ₹91.4
$2.06 MNT 7,417
-53.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.85 ₹462
$9.74 MNT 35.0K
-50.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.84 ₹271
$5.17 MNT 18.6K
-45.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$6.51 MNT 23.4K
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 ₹191
$2.98 MNT 10.7K
-32.89%
Banana (1kg)
$0.65 ₹61.5
$2.21 MNT 7,938
-70.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 ₹92.4
$3.67 MNT 13.2K
-73.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.47 ₹44.37
$2.96 MNT 10.6K
-84.12%
Potato (1kg)
$0.34 ₹31.92
$0.82 MNT 2,931
-58.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.79
$0.88 MNT 3,171
-52.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 ₹44.46
$1.67 MNT 5,992
-71.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.72
$0.76 MNT 2,739
-59.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.08 ₹484
$1.70 MNT 6,101
198.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.31 ₹696
$9.51 MNT 34.2K
-23.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₹155
$1.41 MNT 5,085
15.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ₹263
$1.76 MNT 6,313
56.82%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.11 ₹487
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
Mongolia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₹24.89
$0.27 MNT 968
-3.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.58 ₹817
$16.52 MNT 59.4K
-48.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.00 ₹94.8
$0.51 MNT 1,847
96.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.78
$0.56 MNT 2,029
-51.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 ₹146
$6.41 MNT 23.1K
-75.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ₹102
$1.16 MNT 4,172
-7.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.2K ₹1.1M
$27.4K MNT 98.4M
-59.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.1K ₹1.9M
$31.7K MNT 113.8M
-36.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
Mongolia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.08 ₹3,532
$72.1 MNT 259.1K
-48.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.58 ₹341
$7.11 MNT 25.6K
-49.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.15 ₹681
$12.32 MNT 44.3K
-41.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
Mongolia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.00 ₹1,429
$65.9 MNT 237.0K
-77.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.17 ₹683
$17.40 MNT 62.5K
-58.79%
Cinema Ticket
$3.20 ₹304
$4.08 MNT 14.7K
-21.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
Mongolia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$58.8 ₹5,601
$645 MNT 2.3M
-90.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,667 ₹158.7K
$8,038 MNT 28.9M
-79.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
Mongolia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.03 ₹2,194
$79.2 MNT 284.6K
-70.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.17 ₹2,302
$49.63 MNT 178.4K
-51.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$41.20 ₹3,924
$102 MNT 366.7K
-59.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.62 ₹2,821
$167 MNT 598.4K
-82.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
Mongolia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$146 ₹14.0K
$630 MNT 2.3M
-76.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$96.4 ₹9,178
$459 MNT 1.7M
-79.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$343 ₹32.7K
$1,598 MNT 5.7M
-78.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$234 ₹22.3K
$947 MNT 3.4M
-75.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,177 ₹112.1K
$1,785 MNT 6.4M
-34.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$633 ₹60.3K
$982 MNT 3.5M
-35.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
Mongolia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$409 ₹38.9K
$590 MNT 2.1M
-30.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.93
9.6
-6.98%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mongolia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
India
$102
Mongolia
$222 117% $120
Accommodation & Living
India
$96
Mongolia
$459 377% $363
Eating Out
India
$67
Mongolia
$115 72.5% $48
Clothing & Footwear
India
$53
Mongolia
$179 237% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
$48
Mongolia
$92 91.4% $44
Sport & Entertainment
India
$21
Mongolia
$74 246% $53
Getting Around
India
$12
Mongolia
$21 74.8% $9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $530 in Mongolia. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $636 in Ulaanbaatar.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $449 in Mongolia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 342% higher in Mongolia.

Dining out costs 173% more in Mongolia.

Public transport is 75% more expensive in Mongolia.

Good to know
🇮🇳 India
🇲🇳 Mongolia
🕒 Local time
22:42 10:42 PM
01:12 1:12 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of India
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,326,093,247
3,409,939
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.25 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 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
  • India Mongolia 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • India
  • 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
India vs Mongolia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between India and Mongolia?
At $399 per month in India and $1,161 in Mongolia, India comes out about 66% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $530 in Mongolia and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget in India or in Mongolia?
In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Mongolia it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to India or to Mongolia?
It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

India vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?