Living in Ulan Bator, Mongolia

Ulan Bator is a mid-sized inland city in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a cold climate, averaging 1°C over the year with about 227 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,345 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Mongolia is possible, with conditions.

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Est. cost: €2,345; a month for a couple
Climate: 1°C; 227 mm rain a year
Size: Mid-sized; 250,000 to 1 million people
Safety: 61/100; country-level
Residency: Possible, with conditions; for most foreigners

Limited data for Mongolia. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Mongolia are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Mongolia, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Ulan Bator

Colder than 100% of the cities we track
Dry: about 227 mm of rain a year

Climate

Ulan Bator averages 1°C across the year with about 227 mm of rain, which makes it cold and very dry. It is warmer than 0% of the 1225 cities we track.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €2,345 a month to live centrally in Ulan Bator, 14% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 78% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Healthcare

Mongolia scores 57 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 24% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Mongolia: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Residency and visas

Possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistically reached through the investor route (forming or holding shares in a foreign-invested Mongolian company), with work and family routes as the other main paths; there is no retirement or passive-income visa.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Mongolia:

Investment: about $100k (Investor (Type B) residence permit, deposit/investment of USD 100,000 per investor to establish a foreign-invested company (at least 25% equity); figure already in USD; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 65 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 98 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 35 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Safety and stability

Mongolia scores 61 out of 100 on safety, safer than 54% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 6.4 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Mongolia: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2023) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Ulan Bator

Is Ulan Bator a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Ulan Bator scores well on affordability. It is weaker on healthcare. Our figures for Mongolia are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a cold, very dry climate (1°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Ulan Bator and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Ulan Bator?

We estimate about €2,345 a month for a couple living centrally, 14% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Mongolia, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

Can foreigners live in Mongolia long term?

Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistically reached through the investor route (forming or holding shares in a foreign-invested Mongolian company), with work and family routes as the other main paths; there is no retirement or passive-income visa. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $100k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Ulan Bator?

Ulan Bator averages 1°C across the year with about 227 mm of rain, which makes it cold and very dry. It is warmer than 0% of the cities we track.