Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Dhaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar versus $426 in Dhaka.

Ulaanbaatar $1,159
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Ulaanbaatar versus $735 in Dhaka.

Ulaanbaatar $1,881
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,602 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Ulaanbaatar $2,602
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Ulaanbaatar is roughly 172% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulaanbaatar 13% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

$2.49 ৳305

125.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

$13.06 ৳1,604

144.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

$4.83 ৳594

15.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.35 MNT 8,452

$2.34 ৳287

0.43%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,130

$0.30 ৳37.38

190.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MNT 2,225

$0.16 ৳19.96

287.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 MNT 8,233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,064

$0.80 ৳98.1

76.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,508

$0.65 ৳79.3

50.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,672

$0.71 ৳87.2

201.41%

Eggs

$2.11 MNT 7,596

$1.21 ৳149

74.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

$8.67 ৳1,065

42.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

$3.21 ৳395

52.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

$6.70 ৳823

0.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

$2.73 ৳335

15.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,492

$0.88 ৳108

168.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

$2.37 ৳291

54.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

$0.65 ৳79.5

378.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MNT 2,586

$0.24 ৳29.19

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MNT 3,700

$0.49 ৳60.6

110.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 MNT 6,281

$0.32 ৳38.87

446.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MNT 2,610

$0.30 ৳37.30

143.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 MNT 5,961

$3.23 ৳396

-48.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MNT 5,403

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MNT 6,246

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MNT 1,045

$0.42 ৳52.1

-30.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

$22.54 ৳2,769

-25.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,952

$1.19 ৳147

-54.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MNT 1,863

$0.40 ৳48.58

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

$3.35 ৳411

93.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,016

$1.15 ৳141

-2.61%

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

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-9.60%

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

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

$33.0K ৳4.1M

3.73%

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

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

$46.32 ৳5,690

53.52%

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

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

$4.33 ৳531

74.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

$10.63 ৳1,306

30.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

$16.37 ৳2,011

309.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

$16.14 ৳1,982

11.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$4.13 ৳508

2.66%

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

$814 MNT 2.9M

$90.7 ৳11.1K

797.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

$2,649 ৳325.4K

216.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

$16.48 ৳2,024

393.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

$21.00 ৳2,579

117.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MNT 364.2K

$50.3 ৳6,173

101.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 MNT 661.7K

$36.46 ৳4,478

405.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MNT 2.1M

$152 ৳18.6K

280.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MNT 1.6M

$73.6 ৳9,041

501.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

$436 ৳53.5K

280.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MNT 3.6M

$214 ৳26.3K

363.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

$1,622 ৳199.2K

17.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 MNT 3.5M

$761 ৳93.5K

27.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MNT 2.1M

$249 ৳30.6K

138.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

10.48

-1.53%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 83.4% $369

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 47.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9%

Dhaka

$56 13% 69.9% $130

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8%

Dhaka

$64 15% 43.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 33.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 67.4% $51

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 30.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $578 in Ulaanbaatar and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulaanbaatar pays 138% 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 $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

2 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Dhaka 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Dhaka

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 Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 138% higher in Ulaanbaatar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $578 in Ulaanbaatar versus $152 in Dhaka. 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 $426 in Dhaka – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 35% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Ulaanbaatar. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka 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 Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Ulaanbaatar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.