Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,175 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,175

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Ulaanbaatar $1,175
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,910 in Ulaanbaatar versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Ulaanbaatar $1,910
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,645 in Ulaanbaatar versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Ulaanbaatar $2,645
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Ulaanbaatar costs roughly 51% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulaanbaatar is 13% below, Barcelona is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 MNT 20.2K

$17.94 €15.96

-68.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 MNT 116.4K

$68.1 €60.5

-52.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 MNT 20.6K

$13.28 €11.81

-56.93%

Cappuccino

$2.37 MNT 8,520

$3.25 €2.89

-27.08%

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

$0.84 MNT 3,016

$3.01 €2.67

-72.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MNT 2,053

$1.87 €1.66

-69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 MNT 8,420

$3.85 €3.42

-39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MNT 11.7K

$4.48 €3.98

-27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,082

$1.29 €1.15

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,552

$2.04 €1.81

-51.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,704

$1.72 €1.53

24.42%

Eggs

$2.12 MNT 7,619

$4.77 €4.24

-55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 MNT 45.2K

$16.77 €14.92

-25.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 MNT 17.2K

$8.93 €7.94

-46.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.94 MNT 24.9K

$19.88 €17.68

-65.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

$2.98 €2.65

0.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 MNT 8,431

$2.03 €1.80

15.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.80 MNT 13.7K

$2.73 €2.43

39.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

$2.68 €2.38

11.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 MNT 2,700

$2.10 €1.87

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MNT 3,879

$2.08 €1.85

-48.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 MNT 6,045

$1.45 €1.29

15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 MNT 2,653

$0.89 €0.79

-16.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.72 MNT 6,174

$6.94 €6.17

-75.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 MNT 37.6K

$7.78 €6.92

34.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MNT 5,167

$1.45 €1.29

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MNT 6,213

$2.57 €2.29

-32.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 960

$2.99 €2.66

-90.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.87 MNT 60.7K

$25.20 €22.41

-33.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,957

$3.12 €2.77

-82.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MNT 2,009

$1.44 €1.28

-61.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 MNT 23.5K

$33.50 €29.80

-80.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 MNT 4,142

$1.79 €1.59

-35.75%

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

$26.8K MNT 96.5M

$34.6K €30.8K

-22.55%

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

$34.4K MNT 123.6M

$30.1K €26.7K

14.35%

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

$70.9 MNT 255.1K

$178 €158

-60.12%

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

$7.48 MNT 26.9K

$13.32 €11.85

-43.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.8K

$34.88 €31.03

-60.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 MNT 245.5K

$53.3 €47.37

28.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 MNT 64.8K

$16.01 €14.24

12.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 MNT 15.3K

$11.06 €9.84

-61.39%

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

$827 MNT 3.0M

$957 €851

-13.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,182 MNT 29.4M

$16.6K €14.7K

-50.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 MNT 295.7K

$88.2 €78.4

-6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.68 MNT 164.3K

$39.49 €35.12

15.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MNT 373.5K

$103 €91.5

1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 MNT 686.1K

$121 €108

57.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 MNT 2.0M

$1,653 €1,470

-65.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 MNT 1.6M

$1,302 €1,158

-65.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,657 MNT 6.0M

$2,557 €2,275

-35.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$983 MNT 3.5M

$1,915 €1,703

-48.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,895 MNT 6.8M

$7,286 €6,481

-73.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MNT 3.5M

$5,080 €4,519

-80.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 MNT 2.1M

$2,281 €2,029

-74.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

3.28

214.63%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$446 38%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 192% $856

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 19.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 36.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$190 16.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 16.7% $32

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.7%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 136% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.9%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 145% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 1.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 123% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $566 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 294% 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 $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $320 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

19:35 7:35 PM

6 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Barcelona 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulaanbaatar and Barcelona differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($1,175 vs $2,399 including rent). Ulaanbaatar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 294% lower in Barcelona. 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: $566 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $827 in Ulaanbaatar versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulaanbaatar but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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.

Safety-wise, Ulaanbaatar and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ulaanbaatar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.