Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Ulaanbaatar and in Playa del Carmen: $1,192 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,192 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,192
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,911 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,911
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $2,630
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ulaanbaatar and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Ulaanbaatar and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ulaanbaatar 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

$10.92 MX$204

-50.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 MNT 114.7K

$43.37 MX$808

-26.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

$11.78 MX$220

-52.38%

Cappuccino

$2.36 MNT 8,485

$3.81 MX$71.0

-38.06%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,143

$1.28 MX$23.90

-32.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MNT 2,073

$0.78 MX$14.59

-25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MNT 8,321

$3.17 MX$59.0

-26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MNT 12.2K

$4.93 MX$92.0

-31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MNT 5,110

$1.41 MX$26.22

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,541

$2.22 MX$41.33

-55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 MNT 7,760

$1.42 MX$26.42

52.11%

Eggs

$2.07 MNT 7,441

$2.52 MX$47.03

-17.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

$7.26 MX$135

68.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

$7.70 MX$143

-38.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

$12.69 MX$237

-47.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

$2.78 MX$51.9

8.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 MNT 8,428

$1.37 MX$25.50

71.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

$2.55 MX$47.55

45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

$2.12 MX$39.58

41.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MNT 2,525

$1.94 MX$36.13

-63.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 MNT 3,723

$1.89 MX$35.16

-44.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 MNT 6,182

$1.15 MX$21.37

49.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,836

$1.18 MX$21.98

-33.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 MNT 5,867

$4.30 MX$80.1

-62.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 MNT 37.4K

$9.95 MX$185

4.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 MNT 5,200

$1.58 MX$29.52

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 MNT 6,307

$2.67 MX$49.79

-34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 958

$0.55 MX$10.31

-50.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.65 MNT 59.8K

$26.62 MX$496

-37.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 MNT 1,844

$4.97 MX$92.6

-89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MNT 1,986

$3.33 MX$62.1

-83.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

$5.36 MX$99.8

20.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 MNT 4,182

$1.44 MX$26.92

-19.44%

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

$27.0K MNT 97.1M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

30.73%

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

$35.0K MNT 125.7M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

49.09%

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

$70.8 MNT 254.5K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-16.49%

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

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

$23.41 MX$436

-67.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.7K

$28.66 MX$534

-51.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 MNT 246.9K

$57.1 MX$1,063

20.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 MNT 65.4K

$28.91 MX$539

-37.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

$5.14 MX$95.8

-17.51%

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

$798 MNT 2.9M

$207 MX$3,851

286.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

114.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 MNT 298.6K

$43.35 MX$808

91.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 MNT 160.0K

$41.44 MX$772

7.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MNT 366.6K

$74.2 MX$1,383

37.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 MNT 668.4K

$89.3 MX$1,664

108.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 MNT 2.3M

$980 MX$18.3K

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MNT 1.7M

$381 MX$7,099

23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-4.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 MNT 3.5M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-8.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-55.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-83.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 MNT 2.1M

$735 MX$13.7K

-19.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

11.45

-9.87%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 18.8% $88

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 40.3% $75

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 79.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 140% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $636 in Ulaanbaatar versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 25% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Ulaanbaatar versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $255 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

18:02 6:02 PM

13 h behind Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

149,923

💱 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 Playa del Carmen 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,788 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $636 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $798 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ulaanbaatar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.