Mongolian Properties - Real estate in Mongolia | Cost of Living in Mongolia - It often comes as a surprise to visitors how ex...

Cost of Living in Mongolia

It often comes as a surprise to visitors how expensive travelling in Mongolia can be compared to other emerging countries in the region. Spending time in Ulaanbaatar is relatively inexpensive; a traveller should count around 40,000 togrigs a day in spending money while in town for food, a few drinks, some entertainment and a museum or suchlike. Accommodation can be expensive; in the peak months of July and August it can range from 10USD for a dorm bed in a guesthouse to 180USD for a 4 star hotel, but those prices tend to drop a bit in other months. A meal in a "foreign" restaurant such as the UB Delicatessen or the Marco Polo will cost an average of 10,000 Tugrug while a meal in a Mongolian restaurant will cost around 4,000 Tugrug.

Travelling around the country can be very expensive. An average traveller should expect to spend about 100USD per day per person while outside of the city; this would normally include all foods, transport, petrol, a driver and sometimes a guide as well as some form of basic accommodation. This is based on a group of 4 people travelling together. If you travel in a smaller group or as a couple the average price would be around 150USD per person per day. What is most expensive is the hire of the jeep and the petrol required to cover the great distances. It is possible to travel more cheaply if you go by car instead of a jeep, do not take a guide, and sleep and eat with nomadic families instead of tourist camps and resorts. Should you wish to have a modern Toyota Land Cruiser and stay in luxury resorts such as the Three Camels Lodge in the Gobi or the Mongolian Resort and Country Club near Ulaanbaatar then the prices per day would start at 300USD all inclusive up to 500USD. It is also possible to hire helicopters to tour around the country but this is a costly(if exceptional) way of travelling.

Public transport is of course much cheaper but is not advisable. There are small mini buses which travel from Ulaanbaatar to various parts of the country, but they only go once filled (that means that every inch of available space is taken up by something, even if it is a goat), which means that you can end up waiting in the mini-bus for the entire day for it to fill up. They will drop you in the middle of nowhere and once there you will have no indications of when the next bus will depart for Ulaanbaatar, or if there is one at all. No one working on or taking the public transport system in Mongolia will speak English and everything will be written in Cyrillic. While this can be fun, it is also very tiring, exceedingly uncomfortable and extremely unreliable. Only advisable if you are very adventurous and have plenty of spare time to be stuck amongst the goats of the steppes of Mongolia!

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