Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Ulaanbaatar is 10.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 10.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ulaanbaatar is 12.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.45 MNT 19.6K
$11.85 MX$209
-54.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.36 MNT 105.6K
$42.16 MX$744
-30.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.40 MNT 19.4K
$10.75 MX$190
-49.77%
Cappuccino
$2.63 MNT 9,464
$3.47 MX$61.3
-24.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 MNT 2,539
$1.45 MX$25.65
-51.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 MNT 1,816
$0.90 MX$15.93
-44.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 MNT 7,332
$3.05 MX$53.9
-33.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 MNT 8,503
$4.42 MX$77.9
-46.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 MNT 5,337
$1.37 MX$24.17
8.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 MNT 3,688
$1.87 MX$33.05
-44.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.14 MNT 7,705
$1.54 MX$27.25
38.96%
Eggs
$2.15 MNT 7,749
$2.50 MX$44.18
-14.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.69 MNT 56.4K
$8.61 MX$152
82.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.63 MNT 20.2K
$8.63 MX$152
-34.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.30 MNT 22.7K
$11.02 MX$195
-42.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 MNT 10.9K
$2.75 MX$48.53
10.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.59 MNT 9,328
$1.43 MX$25.21
81.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.42 MNT 15.9K
$1.87 MX$33.05
136.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.78 MNT 10.0K
$2.17 MX$38.26
28.11%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 MNT 2,554
$1.88 MX$33.23
-62.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 MNT 3,852
$2.25 MX$39.65
-52.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 MNT 4,562
$1.07 MX$18.85
18.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 MNT 2,521
$1.07 MX$18.95
-34.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.77 MNT 6,385
$4.15 MX$73.3
-57.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.99 MNT 35.9K
$10.34 MX$182
-3.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 MNT 4,991
$1.68 MX$29.64
-17.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 MNT 6,114
$2.48 MX$43.84
-31.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 MNT 1,006
$0.55 MX$9.80
-49.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.71 MNT 31.3K
$26.53 MX$468
-67.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.62 MNT 2,224
$3.22 MX$56.8
-80.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 MNT 2,183
$2.48 MX$43.80
-75.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.61 MNT 16.6K
$3.11 MX$54.9
48.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 MNT 3,767
$1.26 MX$22.16
-16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K MNT 110.0M
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-0.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.5K MNT 66.5M
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-23.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.2 MNT 299.4K
$82.5 MX$1,456
0.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.47 MNT 26.9K
$22.29 MX$393
-66.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.15 MNT 61.7K
$30.02 MX$530
-42.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 MNT 220.2K
$51.4 MX$908
18.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.91 MNT 50.0K
$18.29 MX$323
-23.95%
Cinema Ticket
$3.85 MNT 13.8K
$4.98 MX$88.0
-22.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$174 MNT 625.4K
$200 MX$3,530
-13.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,558 MNT 23.6M
$5,304 MX$93.6K
23.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.6 MNT 304.2K
$35.71 MX$630
136.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.2 MNT 252.5K
$39.56 MX$698
77.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 MNT 377.2K
$80.6 MX$1,422
30.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$158 MNT 569.6K
$88.3 MX$1,559
79.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$510 MNT 1.8M
$969 MX$17.1K
-47.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$411 MNT 1.5M
$482 MX$8,511
-14.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,477 MNT 5.3M
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-7.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$752 MNT 2.7M
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-36.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,942 MNT 7.0M
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-52.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$951 MNT 3.4M
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-85.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$605 MNT 2.2M
$756 MX$13.4K
-19.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
11.42
-47.46%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities