Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $820 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $820 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Nouakchott $820

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,322 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Nouakchott $1,322

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,824 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Nouakchott $1,824

Istanbul costs about 86% more than Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Nouakchott is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.47 MRU 99.0

380.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$24.09 MRU 965

128.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.98 MRU 239

52.84%

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

$4.24 ₺209

$2.30 MRU 92.2

84.35%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.81 MRU 72.5

-3.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$2.14 MRU 85.7

-74.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.56 MRU 62.5

-19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$0.28 MRU 11.31

239.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.33 MRU 53.2

73.68%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.25 MRU 90.2

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.13 MRU 246

72.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.30 MRU 212

5.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$7.15 MRU 286

196.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.17 MRU 127

-39.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.89 MRU 75.9

21.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.54 MRU 61.8

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.12 MRU 44.89

64.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$1.00 MRU 40.09

-33.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.88 MRU 35.39

-32.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.74 MRU 29.49

79.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.60 MRU 23.83

-1.67%

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)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.46 MRU 98.4

-4.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$0.43 MRU 17.37

93.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$22.10 MRU 885

200.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.85 MRU 34.06

58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$0.38 MRU 15.35

123.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.72 MRU 149

191.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.46 MRU 58.3

0.68%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$7,507 MRU 300.7K

587.69%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$9,007 MRU 360.7K

393.47%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$129 MRU 5,169

-30.86%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$22.36 MRU 896

-48.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$60.2 MRU 2,412

-73.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$88.4 MRU 3,539

-12.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$250 MRU 9,995

-90.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.98 MRU 159

109.55%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$450 MRU 18.0K

116.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,440 MRU 298.0K

246.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$15.25 MRU 611

245.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$23.00 MRU 921

70.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$67.1 MRU 2,687

53.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$46.05 MRU 1,844

109.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$297 MRU 11.9K

234.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$176 MRU 7,063

256.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$726 MRU 29.1K

178.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$317 MRU 12.7K

264.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$624 MRU 25.0K

92.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

105.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Nouakchott

$176 21.7% 72% $453

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Nouakchott

$153 18.8% 42.1% $111

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Nouakchott

$81 10% 62.8% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Nouakchott

$68 8.4% 48.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Nouakchott

$212 26% 81% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Nouakchott

$96 11.9% 2.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Nouakchott

$27 3.3% 64.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $297 in Nouakchott. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $24.00 in Nouakchott. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $153 – making Nouakchott the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

10:28 10:28 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Nouakchott 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,231 in Nouakchott. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $450 in Nouakchott. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nouakchott, where all-in costs run around $820, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Nouakchott it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nouakchott – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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