Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Ulaanbaatar $1,192

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Ulaanbaatar $1,911

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Ulaanbaatar $2,630

Tbilisi costs about 7% more than Ulaanbaatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Ulaanbaatar are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Ulaanbaatar 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

114.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

72.19%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.36 MNT 8,485

51.27%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.87 MNT 3,143

24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.58 MNT 2,073

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.32 MNT 8,321

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

-10.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.42 MNT 5,110

52.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.99 MNT 3,541

-19.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.16 MNT 7,760

-19.44%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.07 MNT 7,441

36.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

-24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

37.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

95.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

-44.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.35 MNT 8,428

-21.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-46.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

-19.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.70 MNT 2,525

17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.04 MNT 3,723

-28.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.72 MNT 6,182

-22.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.79 MNT 2,836

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.63 MNT 5,867

119.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

-26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.45 MNT 5,200

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.75 MNT 6,307

37.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.27 MNT 958

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

-8.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.51 MNT 1,844

123.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.55 MNT 1,986

41.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

82.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.16 MNT 4,182

25.00%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

-9.03%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

-36.16%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

25.41%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

72.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

42.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

-6.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

4.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

67.92%

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

$375 ₾971

$798 MNT 2.9M

-52.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

24.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

-11.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$102 MNT 366.6K

15.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$186 MNT 668.4K

-34.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$636 MNT 2.3M

9.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$469 MNT 1.7M

-3.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

-17.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$985 MNT 3.5M

-7.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

31.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

32.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$589 MNT 2.1M

12.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.32

22.29%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4% 4% $18

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5% 0.6% $1.4

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5% 40.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7% 8.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7% 24.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 1.4% $1.1

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 4.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $636 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 13% higher in Tbilisi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $32 in Ulaanbaatar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $233 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 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 GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Ulaanbaatar 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
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

Tbilisi vs Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar – Ulaanbaatar comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,788 in Ulaanbaatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $695 in Tbilisi and $636 in Ulaanbaatar. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $32 in Ulaanbaatar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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