Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nouadhibou

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouadhibou: $263 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Nouadhibou

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Nouadhibou

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $263 in Nouadhibou, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Nouadhibou $263

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $486 in Nouadhibou, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Nouadhibou $486

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $708 in Nouadhibou, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Nouadhibou $708

Cape Town costs about 496% more than Nouadhibou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Nouadhibou is 80% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.93 MRU 118

302.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$16.96 MRU 679

174.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$5.99 MRU 240

-0.50%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.58 MRU 103

-4.26%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.27 MRU 50.8

9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.35 MRU 14.10

240.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.15 MRU 45.96

83.48%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.12 MRU 84.8

41.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$2.68 MRU 107

148.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$6.17 MRU 247

50.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.77 MRU 70.7

3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.48 MRU 59.4

28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.09 MRU 43.61

60.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.77 MRU 30.86

171.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.72 MRU 28.95

115.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.68 MRU 27.41

119.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.59 MRU 23.67

120.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.45 MRU 98.1

51.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.35 MRU 14.16

331.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.91 MRU 36.47

-30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$7.28 MRU 292

-33.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.23 MRU 49.07

28.46%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$65.2 MRU 2,611

1456.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$97.4 MRU 3,899

634.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$253 MRU 10.1K

425.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nouadhibou: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Nouadhibou

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Nouadhibou

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Nouadhibou

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Nouadhibou

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Nouadhibou

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Nouadhibou

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Nouadhibou

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $65.2 in Nouadhibou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $17.00 in Nouadhibou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $93.0 – making Nouadhibou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇷 Nouadhibou

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

85,953

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.04 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 44.91 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Nouadhibou 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Nouadhibou

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

Cape Town vs Nouadhibou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 496% more than Nouadhibou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $395 in Nouadhibou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nouadhibou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $263 in Nouadhibou. That's a gap of about 496%.

Groceries cost about 139% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nouadhibou, where all-in costs run around $263, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Nouadhibou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nouadhibou costs $263 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nouadhibou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.