Cost of living comparison

compared to

Ulaanbaatar vs. Riyadh Cost of Living Summary

Ulaanbaatar is 28.7% cheaper than Riyadh.

Restaurants
pay 20.5% less in Ulaanbaatar
Groceries
pay 7.2% less in Ulaanbaatar
Transportation
pay 17.8% less in Ulaanbaatar
Housing
pay 49.8% less in Ulaanbaatar
Childcare
pay 12.2% more in Ulaanbaatar
Entertainment and Sports
pay 45.6% less in Ulaanbaatar
Clothing
pay 20.7% more in Ulaanbaatar

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

Ulaanbaatar vs. Riyadh Cost Breakdown

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

pay 20.5% less for restaurants

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.99
SAR30.03
$5.56
MNT20,000.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.99
SAR30.03
$5.56
MNT20,000.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
SAR3.28
$0.86
MNT3,083.33

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pay 7.2% less for groceries

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Bread
1 loaf
$1.29
SAR4.84
$1.00
MNT3,588.33
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.27
SAR19.80
$6.18
MNT22,248.75
Milk (1 gallon) $6.76
SAR25.41
$5.49
MNT19,758.34

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pay 17.8% less for transportation

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.35
SAR8.82
$4.32
MNT15,549.41
Monthly public transit pass $37.31
SAR140.14
$16.67
MNT60,000.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,642.08
SAR130K
$26,896.36
MNT97M

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pay 49.8% less for housing

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$71.73
SAR269.45
$13.63
MNT49,062.50
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,186.87
SAR4,458.30
$569.30
MNT2M
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $833.69
SAR3,131.64
$444.50
MNT2M

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pay 12.2% more for childcare

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $530.73
SAR1,993.62
$817.79
MNT3M
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,105.80
SAR37,960.83
$8,262.71
MNT30M

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pay 45.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.13
SAR8.01
$2.36
MNT8,500.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.28
SAR16.08
$2.42
MNT8,692.31
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.73
SAR29.03
$1.68
MNT6,044.89

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pay 20.7% more for clothing

 
Riyadh
Ulaanbaatar
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$58.30
SAR218.98
$81.73
MNT294K
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$54.26
SAR203.84
$45.38
MNT163K
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$102.59
SAR385.38
$102.93
MNT370K

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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