How much does a trip to Mongolia cost? Daily budget and prices

Mongolia's costs are driven less by food and beds than by how you move. A private car and driver-guide costs ₮500,000–900,000 a day for the vehicle, not per person, so the same countryside loop costs a solo traveller four times what it costs a group of four. That single line explains most of the gap between the tiers below.

Figures are per person per day, sharing a room and a vehicle with one other person at mid-range and comfort. International flights and visas are not included. 2026 estimate; July (Naadam) raises prices.

Street and guanz food is cheap: a plate of buuz runs ₮8,000–15,000 and tsuivan ₮12,000–20,000, so a backpacker can eat well on ₮30,000–50,000 a day. A 0.5 L beer in a bar is ₮8,000–14,000. Ulaanbaatar city buses cost about ₮500–1,000 with a U-Money card (check).

Accommodation is the second big variable. A ger camp with full board is ₮150,000–350,000 per person, and luxury camps go above ₮600,000. In Ulaanbaatar, hostels and 3★ hotels sit well below camp prices, which is why many trips start and end with cheap city nights.

Tours are priced per vehicle per day, so always ask whether a quote is for the car or per person. Domestic flights, useful for the west, are about ₮650,000 one way with a bag (check).

The currency is the Mongolian tögrög (MNT, ₮). Cards work in Ulaanbaatar hotels, malls and larger restaurants. Carry cash for markets, taxis and everything outside the city.

ATMs are common in Ulaanbaatar and rare outside it, so withdraw before a countryside trip. Exchange money at banks or licensed counters, not on the street. Tours and ger camps often quote in US dollars but charge in tögrög at the day's rate, so agree which currency applies before you pay a deposit.

July is the expensive month. Naadam brings domestic and foreign visitors at once, and many prices roughly double: camps, cars and flights all tighten. Book camps and vehicles months ahead if your trip depends on Naadam dates.

June and September are the value window in the main season, with similar weather and softer prices. May and October are cheaper again but colder and less predictable, and many camps close outside the June–September season — check before you plan a shoulder-season loop.

Group size is the other lever you control. Four travellers in one vehicle pay a quarter each of the ₮500,000–900,000 daily rate, which can move a trip from comfort pricing to mid-range without changing the itinerary.

Travel in a group of three or four and split one vehicle. Use Ulaanbaatar as a base for the first and last nights, where beds and meals are cheapest, then run one countryside loop rather than several short ones. Eat at guanz rather than hotel restaurants, and take buses or shared jeeps where a route exists.

Pay in tögrög where you can and keep small notes for markets and taxis. Carry enough cash for the whole countryside leg, because ATMs outside Ulaanbaatar are rare.