Cost of living comparison

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

compared to

Thimphu, Bhutan

Thimphu vs. Ulaanbaatar Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 16.8% cheaper than Ulaanbaatar.

Restaurants: pay 44.9% less in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 37.9% less in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 25.5% more in Thimphu
Housing: pay 29.4% less in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 15.2% less in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 60.3% more in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 75.8% less in Thimphu

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

Thimphu vs. Ulaanbaatar Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 44.9% less for restaurants

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.08 MNT17,250.00	$2.95 BTN253.16	-42.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.86 MNT16,500.00	$2.95 BTN253.16	-39.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 MNT2,852.94	$0.55 BTN47.59	-34.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.52 MNT1,773.33	$0.19 BTN16.03	-64.2%
Average			-44.9%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 37.9% less for groceries

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$0.92 MNT3,124.01	$0.94 BTN81.01	+2.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.82 MNT23,187.50	$1.68 BTN144.30	-75.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.44 MNT18,498.60	$3.17 BTN272.16	-41.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.21 MNT7,518.68	$2.20 BTN189.36	-0.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.04 MNT6,945.64	$1.74 BTN149.28	-15.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.69 MNT5,745.51	$1.07 BTN91.87	-36.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.30 MNT4,430.09	$0.65 BTN56.27	-49.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.91 MNT6,503.39	$0.82 BTN70.74	-57.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.47 MNT5,003.13	$0.37 BTN31.69	-74.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.31 MNT1,037.72	$0.23 BTN19.75	-24.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.46 MNT1,547.26	$0.26 BTN22.05	-43.6%
Average			-37.9%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 25.5% more for transportation

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.00 MNT13,586.19	$3.93 BTN337.29	-1.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$8.09 MNT27,500.00	$3.97 BTN340.78	-51.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$30,311.95 MNT103,000,000.00	$21,215.98 BTN1,822,757.32	-30.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.30 MNT18,000.00	$15.09 BTN1,296.18	+184.8%
Average			+25.5%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 29.4% less for housing

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$14.66 MNT49,800.00	$31.25 BTN2,684.44	+113.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$559.15 MNT1,900,000.00	$124.45 BTN10,692.15	-77.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$428.82 MNT1,457,142.86	$79.38 BTN6,820.07	-81.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$58.64 MNT199,261.01	$16.69 BTN1,433.67	-71.5%
Average			-29.4%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 15.2% less for childcare

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$153.03 MNT520,000.00	$246.05 BTN21,138.92	+60.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,690.11 MNT26,131,000.00	$677.73 BTN58,226.97	-91.2%
Average			-15.2%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 60.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.77 MNT6,000.00	$6.43 BTN552.56	+264.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.52 MNT8,557.14	$1.53 BTN131.64	-39.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.77 MNT6,000.00	$3.83 BTN329.11	+116.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$59.96 MNT203,750.00	$49.11 BTN4,219.35	-18.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.56 MNT15,500.00	$3.54 BTN303.79	-22.5%
Average			+60.3%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 75.8% less for clothing

	Ulaanbaatar	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.51 MNT226,000.00	$9.43 BTN810.11	-85.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$50.62 MNT171,999.80	$11.79 BTN1,012.64	-76.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$88.29 MNT300,000.00	$32.41 BTN2,784.77	-63.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$142.24 MNT483,333.33	$32.41 BTN2,784.77	-77.2%
Average			-75.8%

Ulaanbaatar vs. Thimphu - 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: April 2025

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