Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulaanbaatar and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $861 a month against $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index

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Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,175

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulaanbaatar and in Suzhou

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

A single person spends $1,175 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $861 in Suzhou, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,175
Suzhou $861

A couple spends around $1,910 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $1,479 in Suzhou, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $1,910
Suzhou $1,479

A family of three spends $2,645 per month in Ulaanbaatar vs $2,096 in Suzhou, rent included.

Ulaanbaatar $2,645
Suzhou $2,096

Ulaanbaatar costs about 36% more than Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ulaanbaatar and Suzhou are more affordable than the global median – Ulaanbaatar 13% lower, Suzhou 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 MNT 20.2K

$4.20 ¥28.10

34.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 MNT 116.4K

$30.41 ¥203

6.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 MNT 20.6K

$5.30 ¥35.47

7.92%

Cappuccino

$2.37 MNT 8,520

$3.35 ¥22.38

-29.25%

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

$0.84 MNT 3,016

$0.69 ¥4.64

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MNT 2,053

$0.41 ¥2.77

39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 MNT 8,420

$2.20 ¥14.68

6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MNT 11.7K

$4.50 ¥30.09

-27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MNT 5,082

$1.95 ¥13.04

-27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,552

$1.98 ¥13.23

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 MNT 7,704

$1.29 ¥8.66

65.89%

Eggs

$2.12 MNT 7,619

$1.75 ¥11.73

21.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 MNT 45.2K

$17.49 ¥117

-28.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 MNT 17.2K

$3.49 ¥23.35

37.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.94 MNT 24.9K

$8.44 ¥56.4

-17.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

$2.03 ¥13.59

47.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 MNT 8,431

$1.23 ¥8.21

90.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.80 MNT 13.7K

$1.34 ¥8.98

183.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 MNT 10.8K

$1.43 ¥9.57

109.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 MNT 2,700

$0.69 ¥4.63

8.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MNT 3,879

$1.18 ¥7.86

-8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 MNT 6,045

$0.82 ¥5.51

104.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 MNT 2,653

$0.60 ¥3.98

23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.72 MNT 6,174

$4.59 ¥30.69

-62.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 MNT 37.6K

$8.75 ¥58.5

19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MNT 5,167

$1.09 ¥7.32

32.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MNT 6,213

$2.06 ¥13.75

-16.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MNT 960

$0.38 ¥2.56

-28.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.87 MNT 60.7K

$45.71 ¥306

-63.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 MNT 1,957

$1.70 ¥11.37

-68.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MNT 2,009

$0.38 ¥2.56

47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 MNT 23.5K

$10.06 ¥67.3

-35.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 MNT 4,142

$1.34 ¥8.96

-14.18%

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

$26.8K MNT 96.5M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

37.75%

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

$34.4K MNT 123.6M

$18.2K ¥121.9K

88.63%

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

$70.9 MNT 255.1K

$98.3 ¥658

-27.87%

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

$7.48 MNT 26.9K

$12.97 ¥86.7

-42.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 MNT 49.8K

$11.25 ¥75.3

23.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 MNT 245.5K

$33.27 ¥222

105.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 MNT 64.8K

$18.75 ¥125

-3.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 MNT 15.3K

$5.99 ¥40.08

-28.71%

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

$827 MNT 3.0M

$1,250 ¥8,359

-33.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,182 MNT 29.4M

$22.1K ¥147.8K

-63.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 MNT 295.7K

$52.0 ¥347

58.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.68 MNT 164.3K

$40.23 ¥269

13.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MNT 373.5K

$83.4 ¥558

24.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 MNT 686.1K

$85.8 ¥573

122.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 MNT 2.0M

$447 ¥2,986

26.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 MNT 1.6M

$192 ¥1,285

132.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,657 MNT 6.0M

$1,066 ¥7,125

55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$983 MNT 3.5M

$606 ¥4,055

62.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,895 MNT 6.8M

$5,508 ¥36.8K

-65.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MNT 3.5M

$2,752 ¥18.4K

-64.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 MNT 2.1M

$1,345 ¥8,995

-56.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

3.53

192.35%

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

Last update for Ulaanbaatar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulaanbaatar

$446 38%

Suzhou

$192 22.3% 56.9% $254

Groceries & Markets

Ulaanbaatar

$234 19.9%

Suzhou

$219 25.4% 6.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ulaanbaatar

$190 16.2%

Suzhou

$118 13.7% 38.2% $73

Eating Out

Ulaanbaatar

$114 9.7%

Suzhou

$114 13.3% 0.3% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.9%

Suzhou

$123 14.2% 32.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5%

Suzhou

$45 5.3% 41.1% $32

Getting Around

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8%

Suzhou

$51 5.9% 139% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $566 in Ulaanbaatar versus $447 in Suzhou. 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 132% higher in Suzhou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Ulaanbaatar versus $30.00 in Suzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $219 – making Suzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

Same time as Ulaanbaatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,401,200 Capital

12,748,262

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulaanbaatar Suzhou 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulaanbaatar
Suzhou

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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar, $861 in Suzhou – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,763 per month in Ulaanbaatar and $1,292 in Suzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,175 in Ulaanbaatar and $861 in Suzhou. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 171% less in Suzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Suzhou, where all-in costs run around $861, than in Ulaanbaatar at $1,175. In Suzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulaanbaatar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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