Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,159 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ulaanbaatar and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Ulaanbaatar $1,159
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Ulaanbaatar $1,881
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Ulaanbaatar $2,602
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Ulaanbaatar costs roughly 57% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulaanbaatar is 13% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

$20.22 $20.22

-72.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

$85.0 $85.0

-62.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

$12.35 $12.35

-54.74%

Cappuccino

$2.35 MNT 8,452

$5.47 $5.47

-57.04%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,130

$3.82 $3.82

-77.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MNT 2,225

$2.50 $2.50

-75.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 MNT 8,233

$8.06 $8.06

-71.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

$8.99 $8.99

-63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,064

$1.13 $1.13

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,508

$3.78 $3.78

-74.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,672

$3.25 $3.25

-34.15%

Eggs

$2.11 MNT 7,596

$4.14 $4.14

-49.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

$13.08 $13.08

-5.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

$14.31 $14.31

-65.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

$15.96 $15.96

-57.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

$4.38 $4.38

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,492

$1.45 $1.45

62.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

$4.54 $4.54

-19.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

$4.19 $4.19

-25.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MNT 2,586

$2.63 $2.63

-72.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MNT 3,700

$2.36 $2.36

-56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 MNT 6,281

$1.76 $1.76

-0.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MNT 2,610

$2.16 $2.16

-66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 MNT 5,961

$9.81 $9.81

-83.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

$14.72 $14.72

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MNT 5,403

$2.78 $2.78

-46.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MNT 6,246

$3.48 $3.48

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MNT 1,045

$1.49 $1.49

-80.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

$40.51 $40.51

-58.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,952

$2.67 $2.67

-79.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MNT 1,863

$1.58 $1.58

-67.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

$35.29 $35.29

-81.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,016

$0.99 $0.99

13.13%

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

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

$35.8K $35.8K

-23.51%

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

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

$27.2K $27.2K

26.09%

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

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

$219 $219

-67.57%

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

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

$58.0 $58.0

-86.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

$68.4 $68.4

-79.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

$57.9 $57.9

15.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

$14.82 $14.82

21.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$14.13 $14.13

-69.99%

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

$814 MNT 2.9M

$1,509 $1,509

-46.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

$21.5K $21.5K

-60.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

$51.7 $51.7

57.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

$44.05 $44.05

3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MNT 364.2K

$85.1 $85.1

19.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 MNT 661.7K

$105 $105

74.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MNT 2.1M

$1,932 $1,932

-70.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MNT 1.6M

$1,272 $1,272

-65.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

$3,670 $3,670

-54.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MNT 3.6M

$2,525 $2,525

-60.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

$7,617 $7,617

-75.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 MNT 3.5M

$3,199 $3,199

-69.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MNT 2.1M

$5,105 $5,105

-88.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

6.79

51.99%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 187% $829

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 71.9% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 30.6% $57

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 205% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 274% $253

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 14.2% $11

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 171% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $578 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 761% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $403 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

13 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Austin, TX 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Austin, TX

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

Ulaanbaatar vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulaanbaatar wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ulaanbaatar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 761% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $578 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,159 per month in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ulaanbaatar runs roughly 142% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulaanbaatar but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ulaanbaatar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Ulaanbaatar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.