Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,159 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
Learn more

Ulaanbaatar Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,159 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,159
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,881 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,881
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,602 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $2,602
Budapest $3,489

Ulaanbaatar is about 28% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ulaanbaatar sits 13% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-59.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-47.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-43.88%

Cappuccino

$2.35 MNT 8,452

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-30.47%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,130

$2.13 Ft 692

-59.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MNT 2,225

$1.87 Ft 608

-66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 MNT 8,233

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-7.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,064

$1.13 Ft 368

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,508

$1.84 Ft 599

-46.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,672

$2.39 Ft 777

-10.46%

Eggs

$2.11 MNT 7,596

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-44.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

$11.33 Ft 3,686

8.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

$1.84 Ft 597

71.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,492

$2.01 Ft 653

17.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

$2.36 Ft 767

54.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MNT 2,586

$0.96 Ft 313

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MNT 3,700

$1.03 Ft 334

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 MNT 6,281

$1.56 Ft 509

12.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MNT 2,610

$0.66 Ft 216

10.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 MNT 5,961

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-79.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

$6.01 Ft 1,954

72.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MNT 5,403

$1.30 Ft 421

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MNT 6,246

$2.08 Ft 676

-16.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MNT 1,045

$1.50 Ft 489

-80.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-39.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,952

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-83.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MNT 1,863

$1.30 Ft 424

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-67.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,016

$1.81 Ft 591

-38.12%

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

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-6.62%

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

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

0.47%

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

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-58.16%

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

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-68.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-40.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

1.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-6.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-55.46%

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

$814 MNT 2.9M

$537 Ft 174.6K

51.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-49.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

$101 Ft 33.0K

-19.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

6.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MNT 364.2K

$113 Ft 36.7K

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 MNT 661.7K

$119 Ft 38.6K

55.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MNT 2.1M

$805 Ft 262.0K

-28.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MNT 1.6M

$629 Ft 204.7K

-29.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MNT 3.6M

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-15.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-66.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 MNT 3.5M

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-75.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MNT 2.1M

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-63.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

6.43

60.50%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 42% $186

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 9.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 8.9% $16

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 96.7% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 135% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 13% $9.8

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 107% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $578 in Ulaanbaatar versus $805 in Budapest. 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 174% higher in Budapest, 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 $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $258 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

6 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Budapest 6,190 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $2,432 in Budapest. 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.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Ulaanbaatar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $814 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulaanbaatar, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Ulaanbaatar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.