Five amazing things about living in Mongolia that may surprise you!

Mongolia has a lot to offer!

So you are thinking about taking the plunge and living in Mongolia for a while but you’re not sure what to expect or you’ve been told it is a poor country and life isn’t that great there. In fact, many Mongolians want to leave Mongolia which means it can’t be that great right? Well that’s not entirely true and in fact, there are a lot of great things about Mongolia and I only want to be positive and not negative so if you want to know what are some really awesome things about living in Mongolia that’s different from elsewhere for every day to day living then keep reading.

Mongolia is by far not up there in places to live but there can be some really cool things about living here which may surprise you and can make it worthwhile. So here are five things that are great about living in Mongolia for day-to-day life.


Number 1: Repairs Are Cheap!


Have you ever been on your phone and then you accidentally drop it and the screen smashes or perhaps you break a component within your laptop or it stops working? Then, you have to take it to a repair shop or you have to even send it away to be repaired which can take days and become quite expensive, perhaps even not worth repairing. In Mongolia, you don’t have to worry about this at all. There are some great places to get your electronics or clothes or shoes repaired very cheaply. If you drop your phone and the screen breaks you can go to one shopping centre and get it fixed or perhaps you want to upgrade your computer and get a new CPU put in it you can have it all done in one go for a low price. You can check out our other blog which tells you about 5 amazing places you should know if you want to find out where you can get things fixed.


But it isn’t just technology. As I said, you can also get shoes and clothes repaired easily and even the cost for repairing your vehicle is lower, as well as insurance which is an added bonus! Now a personal story from me, I have a large shoe size and it is very hard to find shoes that fit me. I have one pair of shoes in particular that I am fond of but they broke. If I was back home I would just chuck them out but in Mongolia, you can have them repaired cheaply and quickly. I took my shoes to be repaired and it only took two working days, and they were as good as new! Way to save on waste and bringing life back into things which is fantastic for environmental lovers as well.


Number 2: Government Documents


Now hear me out for this one, it is a double-edged sword because no one likes a lot of paperwork, especially if it’s in another language! The great thing though about any work or documents you need to get sorted in Mongolia, is it can be done in major government centres all at once!

There are several centres around the city which have every government Agency in them. If you need to change your car ownership, get insurance or pay for fines you can do that all in one place which is amazing. I have mentioned these places before but they are located at different strategic parts of the city. So wherever you live there should be one reasonably near you where you can go to get all your documents done at once. There’s nothing worse than having to go to several different government offices and spending hours and hours when you could just get it done all at once within an hour.


Number 3: Cost of Living


The cost of living in Mongolia is far lower than it is compared to other countries. Now some things are more expensive but for your daily essentials in living costs, it is far cheaper. Your water bill, power bill and heating are very cheap compared to Western countries. Even the price of fuel although while it is expensive for Mongolians, at the time of writing this with inflation it is still much cheaper than many countries where you would pay for fuel like New Zealand or Australia. I still can’t get over the fact of how much cheaper it actually is!

Vegetables are also incredibly cheap but fruits are a little bit more on the pricy side (you can even find avocados) but if you buy in season they are still very affordable and of course, there are a lot of different products that come from China Mongolia’s neighbour which means that you have a wide range of different products even though Mongolia is a small country. The quality of these will be different but you can get anything that you need which is fantastic. Even fines and vehicle registrations are cheaper than in western developed countries. Don’t worry about paying for parking either as an hour will only set you back 500 or 1000 tugriks, which is well under a US dollar and insanely affordable!


Number 4: Friendly Culture


Mongolia is one of those wonderful places that can still feel like at times, that it is a really connected society, one in which people actually do care about others well being. Mongolia is known for being friendly to outsiders, especially when you travel outside the main city centres.

Often you will find friendly locals who will invite you, a complete stranger into their ger or home for milk tea. This is a genuinely unique opportunity that I would encourage everyone who actually does travel or work in Mongolia to experience!

Apart from Mongolia’s infatuation with milk tea, you won’t leave on an empty stomach. This would be similar to many cultures except for the fact that this is all happening in a ger (also known as a yurt). Kids will also look on in curiosity, even coming up to ask the occasional question or tell you their name. Nothing beats the warm smile of a Mongolian which are very accepting and appreciative of outsiders. Why not learn a little Mongolian to surprise those that you encounter, how about starting with saying your name? If you are interested try out one of our courses below.


Number 5: The Nature


This one is probably pretty obvious. You will have seen pictures of Mongolia’s vast landscape filled with beauty and spectacular picture-worthy settings. However, most places do have a sense of natural beauty but Mongolia’s is special. Where else in the world can you ride a camel, hold a massive eagle or see a snow leopard, and don’t forget the bears (yes Mongolia does have bears)!

Mongolian culture has a deep connection to the nature around it putting great emphasis on the colour blue, which as a country it is known as the country of eternal blue sky. This might sound weird but the blue colour of the sky here is far different from what I have experienced elsewhere. When travelling or living in Mongolia, you won’t be far from nature and you don’t have to go far to find a river, a hiking track or even a fantastic lake, which Mongolia has quite a lot of.

If you like connecting with the natural world, then Mongolia may not be a bad place for you to start. There is so much to experience and everyone that comes is left with a sense of fulfilment after this unique connection.

So did we miss anything out? Maybe there is something you would like to mention that we have forgotten that makes living in Mongolia so awesome! Let us know in the comments.

Happy living everyone


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