Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $820 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Nouakchott

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Nouakchott actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $820 in Nouakchott.

Barcelona $2,405
Nouakchott $820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $1,322 in Nouakchott.

Barcelona $3,477
Nouakchott $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $1,824 in Nouakchott.

Barcelona $4,550
Nouakchott $1,824

Living in Barcelona is roughly 193% more expensive than in Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 79% above, Nouakchott is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$2.47 MRU 98.9

627.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$24.09 MRU 964

179.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$5.98 MRU 239

123.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 MRU 71.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 MRU 71.5

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$2.30 MRU 92.2

45.22%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.64

$1.81 MRU 72.5

62.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.14 MRU 85.7

-11.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.56 MRU 62.5

-18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.28 MRU 11.31

600.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.33 MRU 53.2

31.58%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.25 MRU 90.1

117.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$6.13 MRU 246

184.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$5.30 MRU 212

70.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$7.15 MRU 286

182.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.17 MRU 127

-2.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.89 MRU 75.8

7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.54 MRU 61.7

68.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.12 MRU 44.88

141.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.00 MRU 40.08

115.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.88 MRU 35.38

151.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.74 MRU 29.48

108.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.60 MRU 23.83

55.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.91 MRU 397

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 MRU 101

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 MRU 68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$2.46 MRU 98.3

188.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.43 MRU 17.37

586.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$22.10 MRU 885

17.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$0.85 MRU 34.05

268.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.38 MRU 15.34

281.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$3.72 MRU 149

818.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.46 MRU 58.3

22.60%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.7K €31.0K

$7,507 MRU 300.6K

362.07%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.3K €27.0K

$9,007 MRU 360.6K

236.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$181 €161

$129 MRU 5,167

40.01%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.56 €12.10

$22.36 MRU 895

-39.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$60.2 MRU 2,412

-41.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$88.4 MRU 3,538

-39.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$250 MRU 9,993

-93.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$3.98 MRU 159

185.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$939 €838

$450 MRU 18.0K

108.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$7,440 MRU 297.9K

122.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$15.25 MRU 610

478.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$23.00 MRU 921

72.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$67.1 MRU 2,687

54.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$46.05 MRU 1,844

159.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$297 MRU 11.9K

471.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$176 MRU 7,061

637.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$726 MRU 29.1K

254.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$317 MRU 12.7K

512.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$624 MRU 25.0K

268.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-83.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Nouakchott

$176 21.7% 86.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Nouakchott

$153 18.8% 52.9% $172

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Nouakchott

$81 10% 70.2% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Nouakchott

$212 26% 7.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Nouakchott

$68 8.4% 56.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Nouakchott

$96 11.9% 26.9% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Nouakchott

$27 3.3% 44.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $297 in Nouakchott. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 268% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $24.00 in Nouakchott for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $153 per month, with Nouakchott cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.04 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 44.87 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Nouakchott 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Nouakchott

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Nouakchott differ by about 193% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $820 including rent). Nouakchott is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 268% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $297 in Nouakchott. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $450 in Nouakchott. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $820 in Nouakchott versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nouakchott but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Nouakchott the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Nouakchott are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nouakchott gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.