Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nalaikh and Darkhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $639 a month against $905 in Nalaikh, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nalaikh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Nalaikh
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Nalaikh Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index

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Nalaikh

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$905

/mo nomad

Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nalaikh and in Darkhan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nalaikh and in Darkhan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Nalaikh versus $639 in Darkhan.

Nalaikh $905
Darkhan $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,430 in Nalaikh versus $1,049 in Darkhan.

Nalaikh $1,430
Darkhan $1,049

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,956 in Nalaikh versus $1,459 in Darkhan.

Nalaikh $1,956
Darkhan $1,459

Living in Nalaikh is roughly 42% more expensive than in Darkhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nalaikh 34% lower, Darkhan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 MNT 15.8K

$5.47 MNT 19.7K

-19.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.30 MNT 94.7K

$31.70 MNT 114.1K

-17.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.49 MNT 16.2K

$5.58 MNT 20.1K

-19.53%

Cappuccino

$2.24 MNT 8,061

$2.36 MNT 8,493

-5.08%

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

$0.67 MNT 2,415

$0.87 MNT 3,140

-22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MNT 1,439

$0.57 MNT 2,035

-29.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.40 MNT 5,041

$2.31 MNT 8,302

-39.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 MNT 7,843

$3.23 MNT 11.6K

-32.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MNT 4,431

$1.48 MNT 5,334

-16.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MNT 3,118

$0.98 MNT 3,512

-11.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MNT 5,743

$2.05 MNT 7,372

-21.95%

Eggs

$2.14 MNT 7,706

$2.15 MNT 7,755

-0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 MNT 45.3K

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 MNT 15.1K

$4.99 MNT 18.0K

-15.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.39 MNT 19.4K

$6.59 MNT 23.7K

-18.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 MNT 11.2K

$2.99 MNT 10.7K

4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 MNT 8,595

$2.36 MNT 8,488

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 MNT 13.8K

$3.67 MNT 13.2K

4.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 MNT 9,886

$3.10 MNT 11.1K

-11.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 MNT 2,055

$0.75 MNT 2,709

-24.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 MNT 3,635

$1.09 MNT 3,926

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 MNT 4,375

$1.72 MNT 6,195

-29.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MNT 2,241

$0.79 MNT 2,861

-21.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 MNT 5,856

$1.73 MNT 6,213

-5.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.53 MNT 30.7K

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

-17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MNT 3,436

$1.43 MNT 5,157

-33.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 MNT 5,834

$1.76 MNT 6,325

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 MNT 563

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.26 MNT 22.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 MNT 1,982

$0.55 MNT 1,976

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MNT 2,003

$0.57 MNT 2,035

-1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 MNT 8,872

$6.26 MNT 22.5K

-60.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 MNT 3,451

$1.12 MNT 4,031

-14.29%

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

$26.7K MNT 96.2M

$26.4K MNT 94.9M

1.32%

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

$16.6K MNT 59.6M

$34.3K MNT 123.5M

-51.72%

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

$69.2 MNT 248.9K

$72.1 MNT 259.6K

-4.13%

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

$6.91 MNT 24.9K

$7.36 MNT 26.5K

-6.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.33 MNT 40.8K

$13.42 MNT 48.3K

-15.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 MNT 198.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.70 MNT 49.3K

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

$4.21 MNT 15.2K

-32.30%

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

$125 MNT 449.9K

$783 MNT 2.8M

-84.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,461 MNT 19.7M

$8,296 MNT 29.9M

-34.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 MNT 218.9K

$80.6 MNT 290.1K

-24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.19 MNT 162.7K

$46.13 MNT 166.0K

-2.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 MNT 300.6K

$104 MNT 374.3K

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 MNT 456.6K

$185 MNT 666.8K

-31.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 MNT 1.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MNT 1.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 MNT 4.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 MNT 2.1M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,407 MNT 5.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$829 MNT 3.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$531 MNT 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

-51.55%

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

Last update for Nalaikh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Darkhan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nalaikh

$302 33.4%

Darkhan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nalaikh

$211 23.3%

Darkhan

$235 36.7% 11.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Nalaikh

$142 15.7%

Darkhan

$187 29.3% 31.5% $45

Eating Out

Nalaikh

$91 10.1%

Darkhan

$113 17.6% 23.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nalaikh

$87 9.7%

Darkhan

$93 14.5% 6.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nalaikh

$61 6.7%

Darkhan

$8.4 * 1.3% 86.1% $52

Getting Around

Nalaikh

$10 1.1%

Darkhan

$3.4 * 0.5% 66.9% $6.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Nalaikh vs $32 in Darkhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $235 per month, with Nalaikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Nalaikh

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

Same time as Nalaikh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,049

74,738

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nalaikh Darkhan 210 km

From you

Nalaikh
Darkhan

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

Nalaikh vs Darkhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Nalaikh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,357 in Nalaikh and $959 in Darkhan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $125 in Nalaikh versus $783 in Darkhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nalaikh – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Darkhan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $639 in Darkhan versus $905 in Nalaikh, a $800 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Nalaikh. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.