Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Darkhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $642 a month against $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,175

/mo nomad

Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Darkhan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar versus $642 in Darkhan.

Ulaanbaatar $1,175
Darkhan $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,910 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,054 in Darkhan.

Ulaanbaatar $1,910
Darkhan $1,054

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,645 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,467 in Darkhan.

Ulaanbaatar $2,645
Darkhan $1,467

Living in Ulaanbaatar is roughly 83% more expensive than in Darkhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulaanbaatar 13% lower, Darkhan 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 MNT 20.2K

$5.70 MNT 20.5K

-1.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 MNT 116.4K

$31.84 MNT 114.5K

1.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 MNT 20.6K

$5.54 MNT 19.9K

3.25%

Cappuccino

$2.37 MNT 8,520

$2.36 MNT 8,477

0.42%

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

$0.84 MNT 3,016

$0.90 MNT 3,232

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MNT 2,053

$0.56 MNT 2,028

1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 MNT 8,420

$2.38 MNT 8,547

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MNT 11.7K

$3.27 MNT 11.8K

-0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,082

$1.44 MNT 5,176

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,552

$1.02 MNT 3,670

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,704

$2.12 MNT 7,610

0.94%

Eggs

$2.12 MNT 7,619

$2.06 MNT 7,416

2.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 MNT 45.2K

$12.55 MNT 45.1K

0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 MNT 17.2K

$4.92 MNT 17.7K

-2.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.94 MNT 24.9K

$6.64 MNT 23.9K

4.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

$3.13 MNT 11.3K

-4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 MNT 8,431

$2.45 MNT 8,814

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.80 MNT 13.7K

$3.83 MNT 13.8K

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

$3.12 MNT 11.2K

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 MNT 2,700

$0.71 MNT 2,562

5.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MNT 3,879

$1.09 MNT 3,917

-0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 MNT 6,045

$1.68 MNT 6,040

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 MNT 2,653

$0.77 MNT 2,772

-3.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.72 MNT 6,174

$1.72 MNT 6,175

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 MNT 37.6K

$10.46 MNT 37.6K

-0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MNT 5,167

$1.45 MNT 5,220

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MNT 6,213

$1.82 MNT 6,547

-4.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 960

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.87 MNT 60.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,957

$0.51 MNT 1,833

5.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MNT 2,009

$0.53 MNT 1,900

5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 MNT 23.5K

$6.35 MNT 22.8K

2.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 MNT 4,142

$1.16 MNT 4,175

-0.86%

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

$26.8K MNT 96.5M

$26.7K MNT 95.8M

0.64%

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

$34.4K MNT 123.6M

$34.6K MNT 124.4M

-0.64%

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

$70.9 MNT 255.1K

$70.4 MNT 253.0K

0.82%

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

$7.48 MNT 26.9K

$7.54 MNT 27.1K

-0.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.8K

$13.54 MNT 48.7K

2.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 MNT 245.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 MNT 64.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 MNT 15.3K

$4.15 MNT 14.9K

2.89%

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

$827 MNT 3.0M

$807 MNT 2.9M

2.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,182 MNT 29.4M

$8,135 MNT 29.3M

0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 MNT 295.7K

$80.1 MNT 287.9K

2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.68 MNT 164.3K

$46.26 MNT 166.4K

-1.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MNT 373.5K

$103 MNT 370.5K

0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 MNT 686.1K

$186 MNT 669.8K

2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 MNT 2.0M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 MNT 1.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,657 MNT 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$983 MNT 3.5M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,895 MNT 6.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MNT 3.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 MNT 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Darkhan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$446 38%

Darkhan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 19.9%

Darkhan

$237 36.9% 1.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$190 16.2%

Darkhan

$187 29.2% 1.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.7%

Darkhan

$115 17.9% 0.3% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.9%

Darkhan

$91 14.3% 0.9% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Darkhan

$8.3 * 1.3% 89.2% $69

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Darkhan

$3.2 * 0.5% 85.2% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar vs $32.00 in Darkhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $237 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

Same time as Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

74,738

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ulaanbaatar Darkhan 190 km

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Darkhan

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 Darkhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 83% lower than in Ulaanbaatar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,763 in Ulaanbaatar and $962 in Darkhan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $827 in Ulaanbaatar versus $807 in Darkhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Darkhan – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $642 in Darkhan versus $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Ulaanbaatar. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan 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 Darkhan 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 Darkhan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.