Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,159 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,159

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Nosara

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

A single person spends $1,159 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,159
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,881 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,881
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,602 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $2,602
Nosara $3,712

Ulaanbaatar is about 37% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ulaanbaatar sits 13% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-54.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 MNT 114.9K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-46.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 MNT 20.1K

$7.54 ₡3,399

-25.86%

Cappuccino

$2.35 MNT 8,452

$4.31 ₡1,941

-45.48%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,130

$1.72 ₡773

-49.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MNT 2,225

$1.35 ₡608

-54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 MNT 8,233

$3.24 ₡1,459

-29.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MNT 11.9K

$4.48 ₡2,018

-26.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,064

$1.57 ₡707

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,508

$3.17 ₡1,429

-69.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,672

$2.42 ₡1,091

-11.57%

Eggs

$2.11 MNT 7,596

$3.57 ₡1,609

-40.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 MNT 44.3K

$7.43 ₡3,349

65.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 MNT 17.6K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-52.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 MNT 24.3K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-50.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MNT 11.4K

$2.32 ₡1,044

36.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,492

$1.61 ₡728

46.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

$4.74 ₡2,138

-23.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

$1.66 ₡747

87.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MNT 2,586

$3.72 ₡1,679

-80.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MNT 3,700

$3.57 ₡1,611

-71.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 MNT 6,281

$1.10 ₡497

59.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MNT 2,610

$2.55 ₡1,149

-71.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 MNT 5,961

$4.95 ₡2,232

-66.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

$20.01 ₡9,020

-48.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MNT 5,403

$2.79 ₡1,256

-46.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MNT 6,246

$3.53 ₡1,589

-50.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MNT 1,045

$1.19 ₡537

-75.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 MNT 60.1K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-76.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,952

$2.24 ₡1,011

-75.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MNT 1,863

$1.55 ₡701

-66.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 MNT 23.3K

$8.86 ₡3,993

-26.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,016

$1.57 ₡708

-28.66%

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

$27.4K MNT 98.4M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

25.60%

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

$34.3K MNT 123.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-1.07%

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

$71.1 MNT 255.5K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-23.91%

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

$7.56 MNT 27.2K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-78.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 MNT 49.8K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-73.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 MNT 240.7K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-6.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.98 MNT 64.6K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-49.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$7.84 ₡3,535

-45.92%

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

$814 MNT 2.9M

$490 ₡220.7K

66.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,372 MNT 30.1M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-29.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.3 MNT 292.0K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

51.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 MNT 163.8K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-18.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MNT 364.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

27.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 MNT 661.7K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

133.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MNT 2.1M

$786 ₡354.3K

-26.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MNT 1.6M

$780 ₡351.6K

-43.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 MNT 6.0M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-56.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MNT 3.6M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-29.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 MNT 6.8M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-72.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 MNT 3.5M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-18.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MNT 2.1M

$876 ₡395.0K

-32.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

8.62

19.72%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$443 38%

Nosara

$780 43% 76% $337

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 20.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 49.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$186 15.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 35.1% $65

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 83.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$93 7.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 94.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$75 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.4% $12

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 313% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $578 in Ulaanbaatar versus $786 in Nosara. 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 48% higher in Nosara, 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 Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $350 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

01:30 1:30 AM

14 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Nosara 13,460 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $2,756 in Nosara. 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 331% less in Ulaanbaatar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $814 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $490 in Nosara. 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 Nosara at $1,837. In Ulaanbaatar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,159 in Ulaanbaatar to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.