Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,159 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
Learn more

Ulaanbaatar Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Ulaanbaatar $1,159

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Ulaanbaatar $1,881

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Ulaanbaatar $2,602

Sydney costs about 174% more than Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Ulaanbaatar is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

214.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

203.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

113.60%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.35 MNT 8,452

70.21%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.87 MNT 3,130

226.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.62 MNT 2,225

266.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$2.29 MNT 8,233

244.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

116.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.41 MNT 5,064

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$0.98 MNT 3,508

184.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$2.14 MNT 7,672

8.41%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$2.11 MNT 7,596

162.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

-1.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

100.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

145.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

27.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$2.36 MNT 8,492

33.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

-4.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

43.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.72 MNT 2,586

361.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.03 MNT 3,700

123.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$1.75 MNT 6,281

33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.73 MNT 2,610

57.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$1.66 MNT 5,961

2612.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

35.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$1.50 MNT 5,403

165.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.74 MNT 6,246

133.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.29 MNT 1,045

989.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

796.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$0.54 MNT 1,952

538.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.52 MNT 1,863

213.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

516.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.12 MNT 4,016

25.00%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

3.78%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

-14.19%

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

$220 A$315

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

209.23%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

266.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

300.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

10.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

33.20%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

318.16%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$814 MNT 2.9M

164.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

237.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

-3.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

54.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$101 MNT 364.2K

9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$184 MNT 661.7K

-28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$578 MNT 2.1M

335.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$443 MNT 1.6M

290.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

194.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$992 MNT 3.6M

206.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

594.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$973 MNT 3.5M

734.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$593 MNT 2.1M

588.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

10.32

-43.41%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38% 74.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1% 38.4% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9% 69.5% $211

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8% 61.9% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9% 5.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 87.9% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5% 31.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $578 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 589% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney versus $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $234 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,026 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Ulaanbaatar 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar – roughly 174% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $1,739 in Ulaanbaatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney and $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,182 in Sydney and $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar. That's a gap of about 174%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulaanbaatar, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Ulaanbaatar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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