Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mauritania and China

For one person, living costs are similar in Mauritania and in China: $752 and $784 a month, rent and utilities included.

🇲🇷 Mauritania
$752
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mauritania and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $752 in Mauritania versus $784 in China.

  • Mauritania $752
  • China $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,272 in Mauritania versus $1,268 in China.

  • Mauritania $1,272
  • China $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,792 in Mauritania versus $1,752 in China.

  • Mauritania $1,792
  • China $1,752

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $461 to $1,250, compared to $263–$820 in Mauritania. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Mauritania costs about 4% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mauritania 44% lower, China 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mauritania
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.47 MRU 98.9
$2.90 ¥19.39
-14.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.38 MRU 936
$22.02 ¥147
6.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.11 MRU 245
$5.20 ¥34.74
17.50%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.80 MRU 72.1
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 MRU 69.6
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.31 MRU 92.7
$3.04 ¥20.31
-24.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 MRU 71.0
$0.52 ¥3.45
240.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 MRU 84.7
$0.28 ¥1.85
657.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.01 ¥6.75
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.19 ¥14.64
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mauritania
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MRU 57.7
$1.75 ¥11.71
-17.71%
White Bread (500g)
$0.28 MRU 11.28
$1.64 ¥10.96
-82.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 MRU 53.3
$0.92 ¥6.12
44.57%
Eggs
$2.23 MRU 89.5
$1.59 ¥10.66
40.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.16 MRU 247
$12.99 ¥86.8
-52.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.36 MRU 214
$3.35 ¥22.38
60.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.69 MRU 268
$11.18 ¥74.7
-40.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.96 MRU 119
$1.80 ¥12.02
64.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 MRU 70.6
$1.31 ¥8.78
34.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.43 MRU 57.1
$1.47 ¥9.80
-2.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.85 MRU 33.90
$1.32 ¥8.79
-35.61%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 MRU 32.79
$0.76 ¥5.07
7.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.78 MRU 31.32
$0.92 ¥6.15
-15.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 MRU 29.91
$0.59 ¥3.94
27.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 MRU 24.15
$0.54 ¥3.63
11.11%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$9.83 MRU 394
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 MRU 104
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 MRU 69.8
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.45 MRU 98.0
$3.79 ¥25.34
-35.36%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$12.14 ¥81.1
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.82 ¥5.48
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 ¥10.92
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mauritania
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 MRU 18.46
$0.29 ¥1.93
58.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.68 MRU 868
$22.33 ¥149
-2.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.91 MRU 36.38
$1.53 ¥10.24
-40.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 MRU 14.08
$0.35 ¥2.31
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.87 MRU 195
$7.00 ¥46.79
-30.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MRU 53.9
$1.31 ¥8.77
2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$7,504 MRU 300.4K
$19.0K ¥127.1K
-60.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,220 MRU 369.2K
$17.0K ¥113.7K
-45.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mauritania
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 MRU 5,086
$54.1 ¥362
134.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.98 MRU 880
$8.42 ¥56.3
161.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.6 MRU 2,386
$10.72 ¥71.6
455.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mauritania
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$86.6 MRU 3,466
$40.72 ¥272
112.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$251 MRU 10.0K
$14.58 ¥97.4
1618.11%
Cinema Ticket
$4.09 MRU 164
$6.76 ¥45.15
-39.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mauritania
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 MRU 18.1K
$462 ¥3,089
-2.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,361 MRU 294.7K
$19.6K ¥131.0K
-62.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mauritania
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$15.08 MRU 604
$45.57 ¥305
-66.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.55 MRU 903
$36.05 ¥241
-37.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.1 MRU 2,685
$75.4 ¥504
-11.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.17 MRU 1,849
$79.0 ¥528
-41.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mauritania
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$194 MRU 7,755
$386 ¥2,577
-49.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$137 MRU 5,501
$240 ¥1,601
-42.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$718 MRU 28.7K
$843 ¥5,637
-14.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$277 MRU 11.1K
$461 ¥3,083
-39.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,590 ¥30.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,279 ¥15.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mauritania
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$645 MRU 25.8K
$1,060 ¥7,082
-39.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20
3.46
478.03%

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

Last update for Mauritania: October 4, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mauritania
$209
China
$73 64.9% $135
Groceries & Markets
Mauritania
$146
China
$207 41.6% $61
Accommodation & Living
Mauritania
$137
China
$240 74.4% $102
Sport & Entertainment
Mauritania
$95
China
$54 42.8% $41
Eating Out
Mauritania
$81
China
$88 7.9% $6.5
Clothing & Footwear
Mauritania
$68
China
$106 56.5% $38
Getting Around
Mauritania
$26
China
$27 2.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $181 in Mauritania, $297 in China. Capital cities: $297 in Nouakchott vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $624 in Mauritania, $868 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 64% higher in China.

Public transport is 55% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 39% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know
🇲🇷 Mauritania
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
08:30 8:30 AM
16:30 4:30 PM
8 h ahead of Mauritania
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,736,139
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MRU – Mauritanian Ouguiya Converter

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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mauritania China 11,900 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mauritania
  • China

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
Mauritania vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: China or Mauritania?
At $784 per month in China and $752 in Mauritania, there's a 4% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
How do rents compare between China and Mauritania?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $297 in China and $181 in Mauritania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How far does $1,000 go in China compared to Mauritania?
In Mauritania, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
How do I choose between living in China and in Mauritania?
It depends on what you're after: Mauritania wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

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