Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulaanbaatar: $1,192 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ulaanbaatar $1,192
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ulaanbaatar $1,911
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ulaanbaatar $2,630
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ulaanbaatar costs roughly 7% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulaanbaatar 12% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

$4.47 ฿151

21.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-1.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

$8.81 ฿297

-36.32%

Cappuccino

$2.36 MNT 8,485

$2.83 ฿95.5

-16.61%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,143

$0.87 ฿29.43

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MNT 2,073

$0.49 ฿16.67

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MNT 8,321

$2.56 ฿86.4

-9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

$3.68 ฿124

-7.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MNT 5,110

$1.66 ฿56.0

-14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,541

$1.46 ฿49.35

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 MNT 7,760

$1.50 ฿50.6

44.00%

Eggs

$2.07 MNT 7,441

$2.09 ฿70.5

-0.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

$19.07 ฿644

-35.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

$3.30 ฿111

43.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

$10.91 ฿368

-39.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

$2.93 ฿99.0

3.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 MNT 8,428

$1.69 ฿57.1

39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

$2.25 ฿75.8

64.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

$2.08 ฿70.1

44.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MNT 2,525

$1.51 ฿51.0

-53.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 MNT 3,723

$1.38 ฿46.56

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 MNT 6,182

$1.07 ฿35.99

60.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,836

$0.52 ฿17.52

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 MNT 5,867

$4.20 ฿142

-61.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

$18.79 ฿634

-44.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 MNT 5,200

$1.82 ฿61.5

-20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 MNT 6,307

$2.84 ฿95.9

-38.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 958

$1.45 ฿49.03

-81.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

$56.7 ฿1,913

-70.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 MNT 1,844

$3.02 ฿102

-83.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MNT 1,986

$1.02 ฿34.36

-46.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

$3.69 ฿125

75.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 MNT 4,182

$1.47 ฿49.81

-21.09%

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

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

0.90%

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

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

31.08%

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

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-26.51%

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

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

$11.26 ฿380

-32.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

$16.85 ฿569

-17.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

$67.2 ฿2,270

2.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

$10.73 ฿362

69.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$7.50 ฿253

-43.47%

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

$798 MNT 2.9M

$476 ฿16.1K

67.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-25.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

$62.4 ฿2,106

33.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

$28.41 ฿959

56.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MNT 366.6K

$94.3 ฿3,184

8.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 MNT 668.4K

$85.8 ฿2,898

116.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 MNT 2.3M

$716 ฿24.2K

-11.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MNT 1.7M

$491 ฿16.6K

-4.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 MNT 3.5M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-31.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-58.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-66.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 MNT 2.1M

$502 ฿17.0K

17.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

5.57

85.28%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 4.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 34.8% $65

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 34.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 6.5% $5

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 236% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $636 in Ulaanbaatar and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulaanbaatar pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Ulaanbaatar vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $266 per month, with Ulaanbaatar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

05:03 5:03 AM

1 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Phuket 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulaanbaatar is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $636 in Ulaanbaatar versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $798 in Ulaanbaatar versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ulaanbaatar runs roughly 71% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.