Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar.

Lisbon $2,210
Ulaanbaatar $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar.

Lisbon $3,275
Ulaanbaatar $1,911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar.

Lisbon $4,341
Ulaanbaatar $2,630

Living in Lisbon is roughly 85% more expensive than in Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ulaanbaatar is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

207.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$31.92 MNT 114.9K

93.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

102.50%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.36 MNT 8,497

25.85%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.87 MNT 3,147

163.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.58 MNT 2,076

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.32 MNT 8,334

46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.40 MNT 12.3K

-2.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.42 MNT 5,117

-18.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.99 MNT 3,546

92.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.16 MNT 7,771

-30.09%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.07 MNT 7,452

94.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

5.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

63.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

168.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

-24.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.35 MNT 8,441

-26.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-49.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

-13.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.70 MNT 2,528

160.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.04 MNT 3,728

89.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.72 MNT 6,191

-14.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.79 MNT 2,840

-8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$1.63 MNT 5,876

303.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.41 MNT 37.5K

-46.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.45 MNT 5,208

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.75 MNT 6,316

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.27 MNT 959

762.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$16.65 MNT 59.9K

168.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.51 MNT 1,846

654.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.55 MNT 1,989

94.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

154.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.16 MNT 4,188

89.66%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.0K MNT 97.2M

26.55%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$35.0K MNT 125.9M

10.69%

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

$161 €144

$70.8 MNT 254.8K

127.68%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

141.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$13.84 MNT 49.8K

136.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$68.7 MNT 247.3K

-35.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$18.21 MNT 65.5K

4.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$4.24 MNT 15.3K

126.42%

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

$668 €598

$798 MNT 2.9M

-16.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

109.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$83.1 MNT 299.0K

22.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$44.52 MNT 160.2K

-0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$102 MNT 367.1K

-3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$186 MNT 669.4K

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$636 MNT 2.3M

152.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$469 MNT 1.7M

153.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

72.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$985 MNT 3.5M

104.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

347.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

350.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$589 MNT 2.1M

167.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.32

-62.69%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4% 60.6% $721

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5% 14.6% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5% 53.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7% 56.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7% 12.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 21.1% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 66.8% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $636 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $32 in Ulaanbaatar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $233 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

15:12 3:12 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,599 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,019 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Ulaanbaatar 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar, so Ulaanbaatar is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $636 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $798 in Ulaanbaatar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ulaanbaatar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Ulaanbaatar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.