Cost of living comparison

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

compared to

Beijing, China

Beijing vs. Ulaanbaatar Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 52.5% more expensive than Ulaanbaatar.

Restaurants: pay 21.2% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 12.1% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 69.3% more in Beijing
Housing: pay 10.8% more in Beijing
Childcare: pay 4.0 times more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 39.1% more in Beijing
Clothing: pay 16.8% less in Beijing

The cost of childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, and housing in Beijing are more expensive than in Ulaanbaatar. Expenses including restaurants, clothing, and groceries are lower in Beijing. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Beijing.

Beijing vs. Ulaanbaatar Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Beijing instead of Ulaanbaatar, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 21.2% less for restaurants

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.08 MNT17,250.00	$4.17 CN¥29.98	-17.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.86 MNT16,500.00	$5.57 CN¥39.97	+14.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 MNT2,852.94	$0.50 CN¥3.56	-40.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.52 MNT1,773.33	$0.31 CN¥2.22	-40.8%
Average			-21.2%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 12.1% less for groceries

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$0.92 MNT3,124.01	$1.43 CN¥10.30	+56.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.82 MNT23,187.50	$7.31 CN¥52.48	+7.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.44 MNT18,498.60	$7.17 CN¥51.49	+31.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.21 MNT7,518.68	$1.74 CN¥12.48	-21.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.04 MNT6,945.64	$1.53 CN¥10.99	-25.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.69 MNT5,745.51	$0.92 CN¥6.59	-45.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.30 MNT4,430.09	$0.71 CN¥5.11	-45.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.91 MNT6,503.39	$0.89 CN¥6.37	-53.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.47 MNT5,003.13	$0.58 CN¥4.18	-60.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.31 MNT1,037.72	$0.37 CN¥2.65	+20.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.46 MNT1,547.26	$0.47 CN¥3.38	+3.4%
Average			-12.1%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 69.3% more for transportation

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.00 MNT13,586.19	$4.36 CN¥31.31	+9.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$8.09 MNT27,500.00	$33.40 CN¥239.83	+312.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$30,311.95 MNT103,000,000.00	$20,872.18 CN¥149,895.64	-31.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.30 MNT18,000.00	$4.59 CN¥32.98	-13.3%
Average			+69.3%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 10.8% more for housing

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$14.66 MNT49,800.00	$13.28 CN¥95.40	-9.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$559.15 MNT1,900,000.00	$929.88 CN¥6,678.01	+66.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$428.82 MNT1,457,142.86	$492.44 CN¥3,536.52	+14.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$58.64 MNT199,261.01	$42.04 CN¥301.92	-28.3%
Average			+10.8%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 4.0 times more for childcare

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$153.03 MNT520,000.00	$763.49 CN¥5,483.11	+398.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,690.11 MNT26,131,000.00	$22,913.01 CN¥164,552.10	+198.0%
Average			+298.4%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 39.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.77 MNT6,000.00	$1.11 CN¥7.99	-37.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.52 MNT8,557.14	$3.60 CN¥25.87	+43.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.77 MNT6,000.00	$3.48 CN¥24.98	+97.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$59.96 MNT203,750.00	$65.46 CN¥470.08	+9.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.56 MNT15,500.00	$8.35 CN¥59.96	+83.0%
Average			+39.1%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 16.8% less for clothing

	Ulaanbaatar	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.51 MNT226,000.00	$62.65 CN¥449.96	-5.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$50.62 MNT171,999.80	$34.69 CN¥249.11	-31.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$88.29 MNT300,000.00	$83.45 CN¥599.33	-5.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$142.24 MNT483,333.33	$107.64 CN¥773.00	-24.3%
Average			-16.8%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025

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