Cost of Living Comparison Between Mongolia and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Mongolia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Mongolia versus $720 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,016 in Mongolia versus $1,148 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,411 in Mongolia versus $1,576 in China.

Living in Mongolia costs about 14% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mongolia 55% lower, China 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

$2.93 ¥19.60

91.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.00 MNT 111.5K

$22.72 ¥152

36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 MNT 19.1K

$5.07 ¥33.95

4.54%

Cappuccino

$2.34 MNT 8,430

$2.94 ¥19.70

-20.41%

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

$0.79 MNT 2,848

$0.48 ¥3.21

64.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MNT 2,069

$0.30 ¥2.02

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MNT 8,371

$1.06 ¥7.10

119.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 MNT 12.3K

$2.25 ¥15.07

51.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,082

$1.79 ¥11.99

-21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 MNT 3,390

$1.70 ¥11.35

-44.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 MNT 7,553

$0.96 ¥6.45

118.75%

Eggs

$2.11 MNT 7,574

$1.61 ¥10.79

31.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 MNT 34.2K

$13.60 ¥91.1

-30.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 MNT 18.5K

$3.41 ¥22.84

50.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.52 MNT 23.5K

$11.07 ¥74.2

-41.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 MNT 11.1K

$1.81 ¥12.09

70.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 MNT 7,889

$1.30 ¥8.74

68.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 MNT 13.6K

$1.48 ¥9.91

155.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 MNT 11.0K

$1.30 ¥8.72

135.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 MNT 2,803

$0.72 ¥4.82

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 MNT 3,372

$0.94 ¥6.31

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 MNT 5,988

$0.61 ¥4.08

173.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 MNT 2,731

$0.56 ¥3.73

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 MNT 6,093

$3.67 ¥24.58

-53.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.63 MNT 34.6K

$11.90 ¥79.7

-19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MNT 5,180

$0.83 ¥5.56

73.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 MNT 6,375

$1.65 ¥11.08

7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MNT 1,054

$0.29 ¥1.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 MNT 60.5K

$22.61 ¥151

-25.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 MNT 1,828

$1.45 ¥9.72

-64.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MNT 2,064

$0.34 ¥2.31

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 MNT 22.4K

$7.27 ¥48.72

-14.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 MNT 3,779

$1.23 ¥8.26

-14.63%

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

$27.7K MNT 99.7M

$19.5K ¥130.9K

41.85%

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

$32.3K MNT 116.2M

$17.2K ¥115.5K

87.41%

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

$71.5 MNT 257.1K

$55.5 ¥371

28.90%

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

$7.32 MNT 26.3K

$8.51 ¥57.0

-13.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.23 MNT 44.0K

$10.81 ¥72.4

13.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 MNT 242.7K

$40.02 ¥268

68.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 MNT 62.5K

$14.80 ¥99.1

17.50%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 MNT 14.8K

$6.73 ¥45.09

-38.93%

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

$771 MNT 2.8M

$454 ¥3,042

69.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,119 MNT 29.2M

$19.5K ¥130.8K

-58.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 MNT 283.1K

$44.95 ¥301

75.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.67 MNT 175.0K

$35.81 ¥240

35.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MNT 362.5K

$76.8 ¥514

31.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 MNT 598.0K

$77.3 ¥518

115.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MNT 2.1M

$385 ¥2,581

49.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 MNT 1.6M

$242 ¥1,623

78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MNT 5.9M

$837 ¥5,603

96.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 MNT 3.6M

$474 ¥3,177

108.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,783 MNT 6.4M

$4,619 ¥30.9K

-61.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$937 MNT 3.4M

$2,316 ¥15.5K

-59.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$580 MNT 2.1M

$1,062 ¥7,110

-45.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.6

3.47

176.66%

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

Last update for Mongolia: September 7, 2026

Last update for China: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $168 in Mongolia, $295 in China. Capital cities: $586 in Ulaanbaatar vs $957 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $444 in Mongolia, $865 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in China.

Dining out costs 19% more in Mongolia.

Public transport is 143% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 95% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $852 per month in China and $580 in Mongolia, there's a 47% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Mongolia: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in China is consistently higher than in Mongolia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Mongolia, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Mongolia wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.