Mongolia Travel Budget: Costs and Money-Saving Tips

How much does a trip to Mongolia cost?

Mongolia is cheaper than many people expect, but the huge distances and organised tours quickly push the bill up. The local currency is the tugrik (MNT), at roughly 3,500 MNT to the euro.

Daily budget

• Budget: 90,000–140,000 MNT (about 25–40 euros) a day with hostels, local food and buses.
• Mid-range: 175,000–300,000 MNT (50–85 euros) with private rooms and a few excursions.
• Comfortable: over 350,000 MNT (100+ euros) with hotels and a private driver.

Sample prices

• Hostel bed in Ulaanbaatar: 30,000–50,000 MNT
• A portion of buuz (steamed dumplings) in a local canteen: 6,000–10,000 MNT
• Large bottle of water from a shop: about 1,500 MNT
• City bus ticket: 500–1,000 MNT
• Multi-day jeep tour in the Gobi Desert: from 100–150 euros per day

Money and cards

In Ulaanbaatar, Visa and Mastercard are accepted at hotels, supermarkets and many restaurants, and ATMs (Khan Bank, Golomt, TDB) are plentiful. Outside the capital, though, almost everything is cash only — withdraw enough tugrik before you leave the city. ATMs charge a fee per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often.

Getting around

• Intercity buses are cheap but slow.
• Shared minibuses (purgon) to the provinces cost a few euros.
• Domestic flights to remote aimags start at around 100–150 euros one way.

Money-saving tips

• Travel in a group: the price of a jeep tour is split between passengers, so with 3–4 people the cost drops considerably.
• Eat where the locals eat (guanz) instead of at tourist restaurants.
• Visit outside July and August, when prices peak because of the Naadam festival.
• Spend a night in a ger (yurt) with a nomad family — authentic and inexpensive.

Stay connected in Mongolia

A HelloSIM eSIM keeps you online for maps, translation and bookings without costly roaming, wherever there is network coverage and not only in Ulaanbaatar.