Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tashkent and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Tashkent: $1,025 a month against $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
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Tashkent Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,025

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,025 per month in Tashkent vs $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Tashkent $1,025
Ulaanbaatar $1,159

A couple spends around $1,630 per month in Tashkent vs $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Tashkent $1,630
Ulaanbaatar $1,881

A family of three spends $2,234 per month in Tashkent vs $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Tashkent $2,234
Ulaanbaatar $2,602

Tashkent is about 12% cheaper than Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tashkent and Ulaanbaatar are more affordable than the global median – Tashkent 24% lower, Ulaanbaatar 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.91 UZS 82.0K

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

22.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.76 UZS 400.7K

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

5.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 UZS 59.5K

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

-10.38%

Cappuccino

$2.56 UZS 30.4K

$2.35 MNT 8,452

8.94%

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

$0.76 UZS 9,070

$0.87 MNT 3,130

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 UZS 4,022

$0.62 MNT 2,225

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 UZS 25.7K

$2.29 MNT 8,233

-5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 UZS 45.6K

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

16.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 UZS 16.0K

$1.41 MNT 5,064

-4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 UZS 9,811

$0.98 MNT 3,508

-15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UZS 20.8K

$2.14 MNT 7,672

-18.22%

Eggs

$1.82 UZS 21.6K

$2.11 MNT 7,596

-13.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 UZS 95.3K

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

-34.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 UZS 49.0K

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

-15.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 UZS 151.6K

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

88.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 UZS 18.5K

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

-50.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 UZS 21.2K

$2.36 MNT 8,492

-24.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 UZS 27.9K

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

-35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 UZS 20.5K

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

-44.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 UZS 6,715

$0.72 MNT 2,586

-20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 UZS 4,967

$1.03 MNT 3,700

-59.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 UZS 12.5K

$1.75 MNT 6,281

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 UZS 5,411

$0.73 MNT 2,610

-36.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 UZS 23.7K

$1.66 MNT 5,961

19.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 UZS 90.0K

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

-26.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 UZS 15.8K

$1.50 MNT 5,403

-10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 UZS 42.1K

$1.74 MNT 6,246

103.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 UZS 1,828

$0.29 MNT 1,045

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 UZS 150.0K

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

-24.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 UZS 9,946

$0.54 MNT 1,952

55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 UZS 4,311

$0.52 MNT 1,863

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 UZS 40.7K

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

-47.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 UZS 13.9K

$1.12 MNT 4,016

4.46%

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

$16.7K UZS 198.0M

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

-39.10%

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

$24.7K UZS 292.8M

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

-28.02%

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

$67.5 UZS 800.8K

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

-5.12%

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

$4.46 UZS 52.9K

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

-41.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.75 UZS 163.2K

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

-0.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.7 UZS 756.0K

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

-4.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.97 UZS 225.2K

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

5.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.02 UZS 71.5K

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

41.98%

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

$333 UZS 3.9M

$814 MNT 2.9M

-59.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,395 UZS 111.5M

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

12.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 UZS 602.3K

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

-37.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 UZS 704.4K

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

30.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 UZS 1.3M

$101 MNT 364.2K

9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 UZS 1.6M

$184 MNT 661.7K

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 UZS 7.1M

$578 MNT 2.1M

2.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 UZS 4.5M

$443 MNT 1.6M

-15.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 UZS 14.0M

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

-29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 UZS 8.6M

$992 MNT 3.6M

-26.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,653 UZS 19.6M

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

-13.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$941 UZS 11.2M

$973 MNT 3.5M

-3.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 UZS 8.5M

$593 MNT 2.1M

20.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

10.32

125.87%

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

Last update for Tashkent: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tashkent

$376 36.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38% 17.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

Tashkent

$197 19%

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1% 19.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Tashkent

$161 15.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9% 15% $24

Eating Out

Tashkent

$124 12%

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8% 8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tashkent

$86 8.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9% 8% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tashkent

$76 7.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Tashkent

$16 1.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 32.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $595 in Tashkent 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 20% higher in Tashkent, 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 $34.00 in Tashkent versus $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Tashkent vs $234 in Ulaanbaatar – so Tashkent wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

3 h ahead of Tashkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,956,384 Capital

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.42 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.51 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇿 Uzbekistani Som (soʻm)

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11,870 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.42 USD). 1 EUR = 13,313 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.51 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to UZS in detail →

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Between locations

Tashkent Ulaanbaatar 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tashkent
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

Tashkent vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulaanbaatar costs about 13% more than Tashkent, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,537 per month in Tashkent 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 Tashkent, 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 $34.00 in Tashkent 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 $1,025 in Tashkent and $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tashkent, where all-in costs run around $1,025, than in Ulaanbaatar at $1,159. In Tashkent it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulaanbaatar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tashkent – 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 Tashkent. 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.