Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $820 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Nouakchott
🇲🇷 Mauritania
$820
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $820 in Nouakchott.

  • Buenos Aires $1,685
  • Nouakchott $820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,322 in Nouakchott.

  • Buenos Aires $2,742
  • Nouakchott $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,824 in Nouakchott.

  • Buenos Aires $3,799
  • Nouakchott $1,824

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 105% more expensive than in Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Nouakchott is 39% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
$2.47 MRU 99.0
658.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 ARS 97.7K
$24.09 MRU 965
167.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
$5.98 MRU 239
115.38%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.78 MRU 71.3
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.78 MRU 71.5
-
Cappuccino
$3.98 ARS 6,027
$2.30 MRU 92.2
73.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,102
$1.81 MRU 72.5
13.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,348
$2.14 MRU 85.7
-27.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ARS 5,828
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 ARS 6,968
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ARS 2,180
$1.56 MRU 62.5
-7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 ARS 3,737
$0.28 MRU 11.31
778.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ARS 2,466
$1.33 MRU 53.2
22.56%
Eggs
$2.89 ARS 4,384
$2.25 MRU 90.2
28.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
$6.13 MRU 246
73.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$5.30 MRU 212
88.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
$7.15 MRU 286
92.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 ARS 4,165
$3.17 MRU 127
-13.25%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,299
$1.89 MRU 75.9
15.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,204
$1.54 MRU 61.8
-5.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,012
$1.12 MRU 44.89
77.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ARS 1,884
$1.00 MRU 40.09
24.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,920
$0.88 MRU 35.39
44.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 ARS 2,574
$0.74 MRU 29.49
129.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 ARS 2,616
$0.60 MRU 23.83
188.33%
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 68.2
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ARS 6,335
$2.46 MRU 98.4
69.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 ARS 8,787
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 ARS 3,162
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ARS 4,197
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,131
$0.43 MRU 17.37
74.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
$22.10 MRU 885
22.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ARS 2,450
$0.85 MRU 34.06
90.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,480
$0.38 MRU 15.35
157.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
$3.72 MRU 149
107.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ARS 2,057
$1.46 MRU 58.3
-6.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
$7,507 MRU 300.7K
273.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ARS 52.3M
$9,007 MRU 360.7K
283.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 ARS 326.8K
$129 MRU 5,169
67.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
$22.36 MRU 896
14.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 ARS 47.5K
$60.2 MRU 2,412
-47.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.82 ARS 75.5K
$88.4 MRU 3,539
-43.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
$250 MRU 9,995
-93.16%
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
$3.98 MRU 159
162.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ARS 706.5K
$450 MRU 18.0K
3.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
$7,440 MRU 298.0K
21.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ARS 185.1K
$15.25 MRU 611
700.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$97.4 ARS 147.7K
$23.00 MRU 921
323.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ARS 177.3K
$67.1 MRU 2,687
74.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 211.8K
$46.05 MRU 1,844
203.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ARS 1.2M
$297 MRU 11.9K
157.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 ARS 765.8K
$176 MRU 7,063
186.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
$726 MRU 29.1K
120.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
$317 MRU 12.7K
273.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Nouakchott
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$954 ARS 1.4M
$624 MRU 25.0K
52.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
20
186.25%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$505
Nouakchott
$176 65.1% $329
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$284
Nouakchott
$153 46.2% $131
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$279
Nouakchott
$81 70.9% $198
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$273
Nouakchott
$212 22.3% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$214
Nouakchott
$68 68.2% $146
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Nouakchott
$96 36.3% $26
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Nouakchott
$27 27.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $297 in Nouakchott. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 53% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $24.00 in Nouakchott for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $153 per month, with Nouakchott cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇲🇷 Nouakchott
🕒 Local time
07:15 7:15 AM
10:15 10:15 AM
3 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
958,399 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.05 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 44.88 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Nouakchott 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • 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
Buenos Aires vs Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Nouakchott?
Buenos Aires and Nouakchott differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $820 including rent). Nouakchott is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buenos Aires or Nouakchott?
Average pay runs 53% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Nouakchott?
Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $297 in Nouakchott. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Nouakchott?
Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $450 in Nouakchott. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $820 in Nouakchott versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nouakchott but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Nouakchott the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Nouakchott?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Nouakchott safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires 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.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Nouakchott?
Expats usually find Nouakchott gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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