Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $861 a month against $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$861

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,175

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $861 per month in Suzhou vs $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Suzhou $861
Ulaanbaatar $1,175

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Suzhou vs $1,910 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Suzhou $1,479
Ulaanbaatar $1,910

A family of three spends $2,096 per month in Suzhou vs $2,645 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Suzhou $2,096
Ulaanbaatar $2,645

Suzhou is about 27% cheaper than Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Suzhou and Ulaanbaatar are more affordable than the global median – Suzhou 36% lower, Ulaanbaatar 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 ¥28.10

$5.63 MNT 20.2K

-25.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.41 ¥203

$32.37 MNT 116.4K

-6.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 ¥35.47

$5.72 MNT 20.6K

-7.34%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.38

$2.37 MNT 8,520

41.35%

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

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.84 MNT 3,016

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 ¥2.77

$0.57 MNT 2,053

-28.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 ¥14.68

$2.34 MNT 8,420

-5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ¥30.09

$3.25 MNT 11.7K

38.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ¥13.04

$1.41 MNT 5,082

38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 ¥13.23

$0.99 MNT 3,552

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.66

$2.14 MNT 7,704

-39.72%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.73

$2.12 MNT 7,619

-17.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.49 ¥117

$12.56 MNT 45.2K

39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ¥23.35

$4.79 MNT 17.2K

-27.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.44 ¥56.4

$6.94 MNT 24.9K

21.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.59

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

-32.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$2.34 MNT 8,431

-47.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.98

$3.80 MNT 13.7K

-64.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ¥9.57

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

-52.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.75 MNT 2,700

-8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$1.08 MNT 3,879

9.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.68 MNT 6,045

-51.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.74 MNT 2,653

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.69

$1.72 MNT 6,174

166.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 ¥58.5

$10.45 MNT 37.6K

-16.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.32

$1.44 MNT 5,167

-24.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$1.73 MNT 6,213

19.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.27 MNT 960

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.71 ¥306

$16.87 MNT 60.7K

170.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$0.54 MNT 1,957

214.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.56 MNT 2,009

-32.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 ¥67.3

$6.52 MNT 23.5K

54.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.96

$1.15 MNT 4,142

16.52%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$26.8K MNT 96.5M

-27.41%

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

$18.2K ¥121.9K

$34.4K MNT 123.6M

-46.98%

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

$98.3 ¥658

$70.9 MNT 255.1K

38.64%

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

$12.97 ¥86.7

$7.48 MNT 26.9K

73.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.25 ¥75.3

$13.84 MNT 49.8K

-18.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.27 ¥222

$68.3 MNT 245.5K

-51.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.75 ¥125

$18.03 MNT 64.8K

3.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.08

$4.27 MNT 15.3K

40.28%

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

$1,250 ¥8,359

$827 MNT 3.0M

51.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ¥147.8K

$8,182 MNT 29.4M

170.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 ¥347

$82.2 MNT 295.7K

-36.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 ¥269

$45.68 MNT 164.3K

-11.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 ¥558

$104 MNT 373.5K

-19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ¥573

$191 MNT 686.1K

-55.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ¥2,986

$566 MNT 2.0M

-21.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,285

$446 MNT 1.6M

-56.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 ¥7,125

$1,657 MNT 6.0M

-35.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,055

$983 MNT 3.5M

-38.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,508 ¥36.8K

$1,895 MNT 6.8M

190.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,752 ¥18.4K

$976 MNT 3.5M

181.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 ¥8,995

$579 MNT 2.1M

132.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.32

-65.79%

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

Last update for Suzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suzhou

$219 25.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$234 19.9% 7.1% $16

Accommodation & Living

Suzhou

$192 22.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$446 38% 132% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suzhou

$123 14.2%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.9% 24.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Suzhou

$118 13.7%

Ulaanbaatar

$190 16.2% 61.7% $73

Eating Out

Suzhou

$114 13.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.7% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Suzhou

$51 5.9%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 58.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Suzhou

$45 5.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 69.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $447 in Suzhou versus $566 in Ulaanbaatar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 132% higher in Suzhou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Suzhou versus $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $234 – making Suzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

Same time as Suzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,748,262

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Suzhou Ulaanbaatar 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Suzhou
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

Suzhou vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $861 in Suzhou, $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,292 per month in Suzhou and $1,763 in Ulaanbaatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $861 in Suzhou and $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 171% less in Suzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Suzhou, where all-in costs run around $861, than in Ulaanbaatar at $1,175. In Suzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulaanbaatar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Suzhou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ulaanbaatar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.