Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mongolia and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Mongolia: $1,126 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

🇲🇳 Mongolia
$1,126
/mo nomad
Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,387
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Mongolia is 19.1% cheaper than Almaty without rent, and 18.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Mongolia is 22.4% cheaper than Almaty without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.72 MNT 20.6K
$13.31 ₸6,034
-57.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.61 MNT 106.4K
$43.37 ₸19.7K
-31.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.36 MNT 19.3K
$8.80 ₸3,988
-39.09%
Cappuccino
$2.37 MNT 8,505
$3.30 ₸1,497
-28.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MNT 3,027
$1.37 ₸620
-38.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 MNT 2,088
$0.90 ₸409
-35.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.38 MNT 8,553
$3.13 ₸1,419
-23.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 MNT 12.3K
$4.10 ₸1,860
-16.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MNT 5,101
$1.66 ₸754
-14.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 MNT 3,598
$0.90 ₸406
11.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 MNT 7,792
$2.06 ₸933
5.34%
Eggs
$2.06 MNT 7,402
$2.37 ₸1,074
-13.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.00 MNT 35.9K
$12.64 ₸5,730
-20.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.08 MNT 18.3K
$6.62 ₸3,000
-23.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.54 MNT 23.5K
$10.87 ₸4,928
-39.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 MNT 11.0K
$1.86 ₸845
64.52%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 MNT 7,873
$2.37 ₸1,075
-7.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.73 MNT 13.4K
$2.99 ₸1,358
24.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.05 MNT 11.0K
$2.83 ₸1,282
7.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 MNT 2,912
$0.77 ₸347
5.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.88 MNT 3,177
$0.58 ₸264
51.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.73 MNT 6,213
$1.59 ₸723
8.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 MNT 2,926
$0.99 ₸449
-18.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.65 MNT 5,945
$2.54 ₸1,153
-35.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.89 MNT 35.5K
$11.04 ₸5,005
-10.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 MNT 4,991
$1.21 ₸550
14.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 MNT 6,082
$2.41 ₸1,093
-29.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 MNT 1,042
$0.25 ₸113
16.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.53 MNT 59.4K
$21.84 ₸9,901
-24.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.55 MNT 1,981
$1.28 ₸581
-57.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 MNT 2,028
$0.64 ₸291
-12.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.23 MNT 22.4K
$10.74 ₸4,870
-41.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 MNT 3,962
$0.69 ₸314
59.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K MNT 100.1M
$22.3K ₸10.1M
25.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K MNT 115.2M
$29.3K ₸13.3M
9.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.1 MNT 251.8K
$87.8 ₸39.8K
-20.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.13 MNT 25.6K
$10.83 ₸4,909
-34.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.22 MNT 43.9K
$17.40 ₸7,887
-29.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.3 MNT 238.1K
$69.7 ₸31.6K
-4.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.55 MNT 63.1K
$26.58 ₸12.1K
-33.97%
Cinema Ticket
$4.06 MNT 14.6K
$6.68 ₸3,031
-39.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$769 MNT 2.8M
$446 ₸202.2K
72.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,058 MNT 29.0M
$11.9K ₸5.4M
-32.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.2 MNT 280.9K
$93.7 ₸42.5K
-16.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.93 MNT 175.8K
$46.91 ₸21.3K
4.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 MNT 360.5K
$143 ₸64.7K
-29.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$164 MNT 589.7K
$133 ₸60.5K
23.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$563 MNT 2.0M
$773 ₸350.6K
-27.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$425 MNT 1.5M
$497 ₸225.5K
-14.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,648 MNT 5.9M
$1,390 ₸630.4K
18.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$939 MNT 3.4M
$880 ₸398.9K
6.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,846 MNT 6.6M
$2,546 ₸1.2M
-27.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$946 MNT 3.4M
$1,506 ₸683.0K
-37.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mongolia
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$582 MNT 2.1M
$834 ₸377.9K
-30.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.6
20.65
-53.51%

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

Last update for Mongolia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mongolia
$425
Almaty
$497 17.1% $73
Groceries & Markets
Mongolia
$226
Almaty
$251 11.3% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Mongolia
$176
Almaty
$188 6.4% $11
Eating Out
Mongolia
$115
Almaty
$205 79% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mongolia
$89
Almaty
$116 29.7% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Mongolia
$74
Almaty
$83 11.6% $8.7
Getting Around
Mongolia
$21
Almaty
$27 29.8% $6.3
Good to know
🇲🇳 Mongolia
🇰🇿 Almaty
🕒 Local time
10:24 10:24 AM
08:24 8:24 AM
2 h behind Mongolia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,409,939
1,475,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mongolia Almaty 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mongolia
  • Almaty

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

Mongolia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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