Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Ulaanbaatar $1,192
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Ulaanbaatar $1,911
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Ulaanbaatar $2,630
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Ulaanbaatar costs roughly 26% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulaanbaatar is 12% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

$10.62 MX$198

-49.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

$48.35 MX$901

-33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

$10.35 MX$193

-45.80%

Cappuccino

$2.36 MNT 8,485

$3.69 MX$68.8

-36.04%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,143

$1.67 MX$31.07

-47.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MNT 2,073

$1.27 MX$23.59

-54.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MNT 8,321

$3.19 MX$59.5

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

$5.31 MX$98.9

-35.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MNT 5,110

$1.72 MX$32.15

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,541

$3.04 MX$56.7

-67.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 MNT 7,760

$1.94 MX$36.19

11.34%

Eggs

$2.07 MNT 7,441

$2.89 MX$53.8

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

$10.97 MX$205

11.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

$9.25 MX$172

-48.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

$15.13 MX$282

-56.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

$3.05 MX$56.8

-0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 MNT 8,428

$1.94 MX$36.19

21.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

$2.03 MX$37.75

82.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

$2.31 MX$43.15

30.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MNT 2,525

$2.04 MX$37.94

-65.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 MNT 3,723

$1.80 MX$33.55

-42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 MNT 6,182

$1.48 MX$27.58

16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,836

$1.27 MX$23.63

-37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 MNT 5,867

$5.30 MX$98.9

-69.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

$16.10 MX$300

-35.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 MNT 5,200

$1.98 MX$36.97

-26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 MNT 6,307

$4.25 MX$79.3

-58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 958

$0.31 MX$5.69

-12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

$19.73 MX$368

-15.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 MNT 1,844

$1.84 MX$34.25

-72.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MNT 1,986

$0.53 MX$9.94

3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

$5.30 MX$98.7

22.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 MNT 4,182

$1.51 MX$28.16

-23.18%

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

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

24.19%

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

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

45.86%

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

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

$63.0 MX$1,174

12.43%

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

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

$27.39 MX$511

-72.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

$35.67 MX$665

-61.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

$58.9 MX$1,099

16.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

$23.64 MX$441

-22.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$6.40 MX$119

-33.75%

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

$798 MNT 2.9M

$432 MX$8,045

84.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-26.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

$68.2 MX$1,272

21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

$53.1 MX$990

-16.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MNT 366.6K

$108 MX$2,009

-5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 MNT 668.4K

$117 MX$2,186

58.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 MNT 2.3M

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-42.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MNT 1.7M

$710 MX$13.2K

-33.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 MNT 3.5M

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-29.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-51.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-52.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 MNT 2.1M

$946 MX$17.6K

-37.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

11.35

-9.07%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 51.5% $241

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 37.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 16.7% $31

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 76.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 36.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 7% $5.4

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 21.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $636 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 61% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Ulaanbaatar vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $320 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

14 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,594 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,001 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Mexico City 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Ulaanbaatar is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Ulaanbaatar. 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: $636 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ulaanbaatar runs roughly 16% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $798 in Ulaanbaatar versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ulaanbaatar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 26% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.