Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $805 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest 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 Bucharest and in Nouakchott actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Bucharest versus $805 in Nouakchott.

Bucharest $1,371
Nouakchott $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Bucharest versus $1,325 in Nouakchott.

Bucharest $2,067
Nouakchott $1,325

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,764 in Bucharest versus $1,845 in Nouakchott.

Bucharest $2,764
Nouakchott $1,845

Living in Bucharest is roughly 70% more expensive than in Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 RON 69.0

$2.50 MRU 101

480.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 RON 291

$23.88 MRU 966

156.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$6.15 MRU 249

21.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MRU 71.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 MRU 70.5

Cappuccino

$3.64 RON 17.31

$2.22 MRU 90.0

63.96%

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

$2.62 RON 12.43

$1.67 MRU 67.7

56.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 RON 11.23

$2.50 MRU 101

-5.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 RON 17.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 RON 19.52

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$1.53 MRU 61.9

8.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$0.26 MRU 10.50

438.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.53

$1.36 MRU 55.1

31.62%

Eggs

$3.63 RON 17.25

$2.26 MRU 91.5

60.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 RON 42.38

$5.79 MRU 234

54.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.62

$5.43 MRU 220

26.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 RON 57.0

$7.01 MRU 284

71.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.16

$3.08 MRU 125

-57.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.76

$1.83 MRU 74.0

-10.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.09

$1.60 MRU 64.8

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.08

$1.15 MRU 46.62

120.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.86

$0.99 MRU 40.05

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.86 MRU 34.92

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 RON 4.07

$0.72 MRU 29.24

19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.61 MRU 24.49

54.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.10 MRU 409

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 MRU 102

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MRU 67.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 RON 31.38

$2.42 MRU 98.0

172.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 RON 7.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$0.42 MRU 17.08

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.91 RON 99.4

$21.27 MRU 861

-1.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.90 MRU 36.35

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.35 MRU 14.28

77.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.25

$3.65 MRU 148

74.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 RON 9.62

$1.45 MRU 58.5

39.31%

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

$28.2K RON 134.0K

$7,536 MRU 304.9K

274.24%

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

$26.3K RON 124.8K

$8,628 MRU 349.1K

204.54%

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

$196 RON 932

$128 MRU 5,188

53.00%

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

$8.60 RON 40.84

$21.45 MRU 868

-59.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 RON 43.69

$59.6 MRU 2,412

-84.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 RON 242

$86.1 MRU 3,482

-40.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 RON 119

$251 MRU 10.1K

-90.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 RON 39.27

$4.26 MRU 172

93.90%

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

$681 RON 3,234

$447 MRU 18.1K

52.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 89.0K

$7,520 MRU 304.2K

149.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 RON 443

$15.07 MRU 610

519.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.87 RON 189

$22.68 MRU 918

75.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 RON 381

$68.7 MRU 2,778

16.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 431

$46.04 MRU 1,863

96.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 RON 3,473

$287 MRU 11.6K

154.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 RON 2,232

$174 MRU 7,035

170.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 RON 5,276

$712 MRU 28.8K

56.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 RON 3,431

$323 MRU 13.1K

123.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,233 RON 10.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,487

$626 MRU 25.3K

118.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-66.25%

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

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$470 34.3%

Nouakchott

$174 21.6% 63% $296

Eating Out

Bucharest

$229 16.7%

Nouakchott

$82 10.2% 64.3% $147

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.4%

Nouakchott

$151 18.8% 32.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 15.6%

Nouakchott

$209 26% 2.2% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$137 10%

Nouakchott

$69 8.5% 49.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$68 4.9%

Nouakchott

$95 11.8% 40% $27

Getting Around

Bucharest

$29 2.1%

Nouakchott

$26 3.2% 10.1% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Bucharest and $287 in Nouakchott. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Bucharest vs $24 in Nouakchott for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $151 per month, with Nouakchott cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 MRU = 2.47 USD

100 MRU = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.46 MRU (100 MRU = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 45.42 MRU (100 MRU = 2.2 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Nouakchott 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
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

Bucharest vs Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,371 in Bucharest and $805 in Nouakchott, so Nouakchott is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bucharest is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $731 in Bucharest versus $287 in Nouakchott. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,371 per month in Bucharest versus $805 in Nouakchott – Nouakchott is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Nouakchott is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nouakchott wins on affordability, Bucharest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.