Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,159 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar.

Melbourne $2,852
Ulaanbaatar $1,159

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar.

Melbourne $4,297
Ulaanbaatar $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar.

Melbourne $5,742
Ulaanbaatar $2,602

Living in Melbourne is roughly 146% more expensive than in Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Ulaanbaatar is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

215.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

165.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

117.53%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.35 MNT 8,452

67.23%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.87 MNT 3,130

260.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.62 MNT 2,225

291.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$2.29 MNT 8,233

332.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

151.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.41 MNT 5,064

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$0.98 MNT 3,508

207.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.14 MNT 7,672

34.58%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.11 MNT 7,596

157.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

-14.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

95.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

121.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.36 MNT 8,492

29.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

-9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

53.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.72 MNT 2,586

322.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.03 MNT 3,700

147.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.75 MNT 6,281

41.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.73 MNT 2,610

123.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$1.66 MNT 5,961

2554.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.50 MNT 5,403

255.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.74 MNT 6,246

196.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.29 MNT 1,045

1224.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

745.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.54 MNT 1,952

714.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.52 MNT 1,863

169.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

359.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.12 MNT 4,016

30.36%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

2.78%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

-24.28%

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

$233 A$333

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

227.17%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

260.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

311.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

-21.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

25.81%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

303.30%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$814 MNT 2.9M

191.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

263.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

-3.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

10.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$101 MNT 364.2K

18.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$184 MNT 661.7K

-27.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$578 MNT 2.1M

196.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$443 MNT 1.6M

216.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

101.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$992 MNT 3.6M

155.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

269.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$973 MNT 3.5M

595.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$593 MNT 2.1M

613.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.32

-42.83%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38% 68.4% $959

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1% 39.2% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9% 70.8% $224

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8% 63.7% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9% 7.8% $13

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 87.5% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5% 13.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $578 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 613% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $234 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,026 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Ulaanbaatar 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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

Melbourne vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Ulaanbaatar differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,159 including rent). Ulaanbaatar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 613% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $578 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $814 in Ulaanbaatar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulaanbaatar but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Ulaanbaatar 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, Melbourne and Ulaanbaatar 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 Ulaanbaatar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.