1. Living In / Moving to Mongolia Guide
Property & Rent
Nearly half of the registered Mongolian population lives in Ulaanbaatar, the capital and centre of Mongolia’s culture,
industry, finance and hub of the Trans-Siberia railway. Nearly all of the expat community lives in the capital, with the only
notable exceptions those that are officially resident on-site in massive mining operations.
The influx of international corporations has caused high-rise apartments and offices to mushroom in the city centre. The
compounds and developments most popular with expats in Ulaanbaatar are The Brauhaus, the Temple Residence, the Jiguur
Grand Office Building, the Star Apartments, the Royal County, the Sarnaikh Building, Lux House, the Erel Building, Regency
Residences and the tallest building in Mongolia – the Blue Sky Tower. Homes around the Embassy District and the ex-State
Department Store, known as The Seven Courtyards, are also highly popular with expats.
There is little in the way of restrictive regulation or red-tape involved in residential purchases or rentals in Mongolian real
estate, excepting agricultural land. Renting or purchasing will only require a valid passport, and can even be formally done
without being physically present.
Below is some recent market information regarding average rental and purchase price of properties in Mongolia:
Rent Per Month USD
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre $599.90
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre $314.90
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre $1,966.88
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre $701.01
Buy Apartment Price
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre $1,909.66
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre $1,147.41
Healthcare & Hospitals
There are numerous world standard health care facilities in Mongolia, with resident English speaking professionals. Access to
Western medical professionals can be limited as your move away from UlaanBaatar however most foreign companies will
provide access to SOS Evacuation (or similar) through their health plans.
Clinics in Ulaanbaatar
Achtan Hospital
Tel: + 976 11 689 6231
Artayus St.
Second Hospital
Tel: + 976 11 450 160
Peace Avenue 49
Traumatology Hospital
Tel: + 976 96 66 9431
Bayngol District, Chingongu Street
SOS Medica Mongolia
Tel: +976 11 464 325
4a Building, Big Ring Road, 15th Micro District

2. Cost of Living
The cost of living in Mongolia can be considered relatively cheap by many expats. Recent published figures show some
information relative to general expenses
Restaurants USD Transportation USD
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant $3.21 One-way Ticket (Local Transport) $0.26
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course $24.16 Monthly Pass (Regular Price) $13.22
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar $6.00 Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) $0.60
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) $2.00 Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) $0.49
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) $2.50 Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) $4.50
Cappuccino (regular) $2.90 Gasoline (1 liter) $1.11
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) $1.02
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline
(Or Equivalent New Car)
$29,658.46
Water (0.33 liter bottle) $0.40
Markets USD Utilities (Monthly) USD
Milk (regular), (1 liter) $1.19
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for
85m2 Apartment
$64.24
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) $0.76
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local
(No Discounts or Plans)
$0.05
Rice (white), (1kg) $1.33 Internet (6 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) $20.18
Eggs (12) $2.42
Local Cheese (1kg) $8.24 Sports and Leisure USD
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) $4.01 Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult $59.18
Apples (1kg) $3.21 Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) $16.59
Oranges (1kg) $3.50 Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat $4.49
Tomato (1kg) $3.23
Potato (1kg) $0.75 Clothing And Shoes USD
Lettuce (1 head) $1.36 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) $75.51
Water (1.5 liter bottle) $0.68 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, etc.) $52.28
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) $10.00 1 Pair of Nike Shoes $141.38
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) $1.27 1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes $168.28
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) $1.85
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) $1.81
International Schools in Ulaanbaatar
American School of UlaanBaatar (www.asu.edu.mn)
International School of UlaanBaatar (ISU) (www.isumongolia.edu.au)
UlaanBaatar Elite International School (www.elite.edu.mu)
English School of Mongolia (www.esm.edu.mn/en)
British School of UlaanBaatar (www.britishschool.edu.mn)
Climate in Mongolia
Whilst the height of summer can be hot on the plains, the distinguishing feature of Mongolian weather is ‘cold’. Ulaanbaatar
has the lowest average temperature of any national capital in the world. There is the Gobi Desert in the south, frozen
mountains to the north and west, and the steppes in between. Most of the country is hot in the very short summers, and
extremely cold in the long winter, with a countrywide January average of as low as −30 °C (−22 °F). Despite the cold, there is
a lot of sunshine, with an average of 257 cloudless days a year.

3. Mongolian Language
The Mongolian language can be difficult to understand and is often considering a merging of Russian and Mandarin
language; not the easiest to learn. Some day to day phrases are always good to understand.
Basic Mongolian
Hello: sain – by – noo Monday: Davaa one: negh eight: nay’m
Good bye: by – yar – tai Tuesday: Myagmar two: khoyor nine: yus
Thank you: by – yar – la Wednesday: Lhagva three: ghurav ten: arav
I am sorry: uch – la – rye Thursday: Purev four: dhuruv twenty-five: khorin t’av
Don’t worry: zoo – gear Friday: Baasan five: t’av fifty: t’avi
I don’t know: me – de – qui Saturday: Byamba six: z’urgaa hundred: dzuu
How much?: Yamar oon – tay way? Sunday: Nyam seven: doloo thousand: myanga
million: say
Things to do in Mongolia
Horseback Riding
The tiny Mongolian horses are iconic, sturdy, and preposterously strong. A guided horseback tour of a trail in Terelj National
Park costs only around $4 an hour. More tourists get injured each year by falling off even this diminutive breed than do on
the patchwork roads or by non-potable water.
Gandan Monastery
Nestled in the heart of Ulaan Batar is this fully working, yet peaceful, monastery where the monks welcome you to watch
their daily activities, prayer chanting, and creating Mandalas with coloured sand.
Genghis Khan’s Monument
Located on the north side of Sukhbaatar Square, this massive marble edifice is one of the largest buildings in the city, and
was erected in 2006 on the commission of the Mongolian tribal councils to mark the 800th anniversary of the Khans
supremacy. Whilst not enjoying the best public image in the West, Ghengis is locally revered as a mighty chieftain who
unifying the various warring tribes and forged the great Mongolian Empire
Yolyn Am
Yolyn Am (Vulture’s Mouth) is a wildlife sanctuary with accessible trails leading through its dramatic scenery. In the heart of
the Gobi Desert, trails lead through meters thick perma-ice fields, overlooked by the parks titular vultures and eagles.
Khongor sand dunes
The Khongor dunes, also known as the Duut Mankhan (singing dunes) are some of the largest and most spectacular sand
dunes in Asia. The dunes can reach up to 800 meters tall high, 12 kilometres wide and 100 kilometres long. A phenomenon
of the action of the wind against the dunes can create an unearthly low-frequency humming, which has traditionally given
the area a reputation as a site of spirits and phantoms.
Contact Information
Jared Lowe
Director – Head of Energy, Mining & Infrastructure
E jared@capstonerecruitment.com.hk
Tania de Silva
Manager – Energy, Mining & Infrastructure, Emerging Markets
E tania@capstonerecruitment.com.hk