Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar.

Phuket $1,278
Ulaanbaatar $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar.

Phuket $2,216
Ulaanbaatar $1,911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar.

Phuket $3,154
Ulaanbaatar $2,630

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ulaanbaatar 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

-17.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

1.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

57.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.36 MNT 8,485

19.92%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.87 MNT 3,143

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.58 MNT 2,073

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.32 MNT 8,321

10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

8.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.42 MNT 5,110

16.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.99 MNT 3,541

47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.16 MNT 7,760

-30.56%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.07 MNT 7,441

0.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

55.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

-30.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

64.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

-3.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.35 MNT 8,428

-28.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-39.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

-30.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.70 MNT 2,525

115.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.04 MNT 3,723

32.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.72 MNT 6,182

-37.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.79 MNT 2,836

-34.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.63 MNT 5,867

157.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

80.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.45 MNT 5,200

25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.75 MNT 6,307

62.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.27 MNT 958

437.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

240.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.51 MNT 1,844

492.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.55 MNT 1,986

85.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

-43.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.16 MNT 4,182

26.72%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

-0.89%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

-23.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

36.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

47.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

21.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

-2.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

-41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

76.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$798 MNT 2.9M

-40.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

33.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

-24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

-36.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$102 MNT 366.6K

-7.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$186 MNT 668.4K

-53.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$636 MNT 2.3M

12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$469 MNT 1.7M

4.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

18.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$985 MNT 3.5M

45.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

138.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

199.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$589 MNT 2.1M

-14.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.32

-46.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4% 4.5% $22

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5% 12.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7% 25.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7% 53.4% $65

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5% 7.4% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 6.1% $5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 70.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $636 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulaanbaatar pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Ulaanbaatar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $233, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

05:54 5:54 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,001 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ulaanbaatar 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulaanbaatar is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $636 in Ulaanbaatar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $798 in Ulaanbaatar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ulaanbaatar runs roughly 71% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.