Hey people from r/mongolia. Hope y'all are doing great. I am a US citizen who will be coming to Mongolia for Summer 2026 to work on a project there. The project itself is unpaid, but my college is funding me a descent amount of money. Although it's a descent sum, I come from a really humble background and won't be able to spend any more money than what they've given me. My stay will be for approximately 2 months, and I've been looking at Airbnb's and see a average price of $800/month for an apartment. Should I Airbnb or is there any better option? The flight tickets is also going to cost me ~$2000. I will have like $1000 left for everything else that's left. Is this doable?
One more thing that has been making me think twice is that I can work a normal cafe job here in the US for the summer and earn a minimum wage of $15 dollars/hour. But after Mongolia, I would be left with no money, so I definitely want my experience in Mongolia to be great and I want to involve some partying and socialization in my itinerary. It is weird that I don't come from money and want to "party" but the opportunity cost of going to Mongolia seems really high for now. Therefore, I only want to go if I know I will be able to live comfortably and most importantly, happily. I'm optimistic that going to a foreign land, especially Mongolia, would be a great experience for sure though.
So could someone please tell me how expensive Mongolia can be? And also how conservative is Mongolia? Do you guys party? I'm 20, and would I meet people my age to befriend? I'm curious because I don't know anyone from the US going to Ulaanbaataar yet.
One reason of me making this long ass post is also so that I know reasons to ask more money from my campus. Thank you!
TL;DR: Want to come to Mongolia, wants to have fun, asking how much does things cost and asking if it'll be a great experience overall.
Hi! You’ll need to save money by cooking your own meals. If you’re not traveling around the countryside or partying too much, your money should be enough for one person. Young people do tend to party a lot during the summer. Hope you’ll have a great time! Just be careful of thieves, like anywhere else in the world. I’d also suggest bringing a bit more money, just in case.
Consider flight to Beijing and train to UB. Depending on day, might be bus to border then train to UB. 2nd class is fine.
Volunteer work counts as work, needs work-visa.
Is this the state of uni in USA now
MN is surprisingly expensive, and the cost of merely surviving will hurt if you are unprepared.
500$ per month only food? Probably not enough, because you don't have local knowledge. Average meal in random food places costs 8$. Public transport is pretty cheap, 0.5cent give you 4 bus trip on that day. Also it's a small city most things in walkable distance.
Should check unegui (website) for cheaper rent can translate your way to understand. 800 is higher than usual or could hassle n talk w the Airbnb host to make a deal, after that food will be the next biggest expense. It’s not cheap or diverse here . In July we have the biggest 4 day camping music festival in the country and that’s where all the young people go and hang out so I think you should plan for that . Biggest party and great opportunity to socialize would cost around 200$ dollars tho for ticket a lot of money for alcohol and food . Honestly as a local my budget is 900$ a month including rent and biweekly indulgence. Although my diet is not that good
What kind of work and where will the project take place? If you're going to be out in the countryside all summer, there's no point renting a place in the city; just get a guesthouse bunk bed for the days you're in the capital. If it's a tie up between educational institutions, your school's Mongolian counterpart should provide the accommodation.
Airbnb is one of the cheaper options. $1000 is not going to be enough for you to have a good time for 2months, especially since June-Aug is peak tourist season and prices are higher everywhere. It's not just living expenses as you'll definitely want to see other parts of Mongolia, not just the capital city, as the countryside is spectacularly gorgeous in summer. Mongolia is conservative in general, but you'll probably be able to socialise with colleagues your age.