Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mauritania and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mauritania: $767 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mauritania
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Mauritania Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇲🇷 Mauritania

$767

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mauritania and in South Africa

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 South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $767 in Mauritania versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Mauritania $767
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,280 in Mauritania versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Mauritania $1,280
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Mauritania versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Mauritania $1,793
South Africa $2,583

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $267–$807 in Mauritania. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in Mauritania costs about 36% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mauritania 44% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 MRU 103

$10.67 R 177

-76.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.06 MRU 926

$41.66 R 693

-44.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 MRU 243

$5.80 R 96.5

4.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MRU 69.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 MRU 68.0

Cappuccino

$2.26 MRU 90.8

$2.36 R 39.23

-4.24%

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

$1.78 MRU 71.3

$1.12 R 18.56

58.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 MRU 84.3

$0.90 R 15.00

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MRU 59.3

$1.18 R 19.58

25.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 MRU 11.37

$1.13 R 18.83

-75.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MRU 53.0

$1.74 R 28.90

-24.14%

Eggs

$2.30 MRU 92.2

$2.57 R 42.80

-10.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.88 MRU 236

$8.43 R 140

-30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 MRU 212

$5.12 R 85.1

3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 MRU 260

$7.59 R 126

-14.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MRU 117

$1.77 R 29.52

64.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MRU 70.0

$1.74 R 28.90

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 MRU 56.8

$1.77 R 29.43

-19.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MRU 34.62

$1.76 R 29.26

-51.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 MRU 34.66

$1.49 R 24.81

-42.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 MRU 29.18

$1.47 R 24.38

-50.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 MRU 28.54

$1.23 R 20.52

-42.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MRU 23.81

$1.10 R 18.25

-46.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.16 MRU 408

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 MRU 104

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 MRU 67.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 MRU 101

$3.24 R 54.0

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 MRU 17.18

$1.48 R 24.58

-70.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.04 MRU 884

$59.3 R 986

-62.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 MRU 33.79

$1.09 R 18.21

-22.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MRU 14.13

$0.99 R 16.46

-64.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 MRU 194

$7.46 R 124

-35.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MRU 53.3

$1.43 R 23.76

-6.99%

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

$7,496 MRU 300.8K

$35.3K R 587.4K

-78.77%

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

$8,991 MRU 360.8K

$32.4K R 539.7K

-72.28%

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

$130 MRU 5,213

$133 R 2,208

-2.14%

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

$22.09 MRU 886

$34.83 R 580

-36.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 MRU 2,393

$39.76 R 662

49.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 MRU 3,527

$33.09 R 551

165.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$253 MRU 10.2K

$11.65 R 194

2072.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.08 MRU 164

$7.18 R 119

-43.18%

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

$434 MRU 17.4K

$224 R 3,728

93.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,580 MRU 304.2K

$5,462 R 90.9K

38.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.43 MRU 619

$54.2 R 902

-71.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.70 MRU 911

$34.13 R 568

-33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 MRU 2,741

$102 R 1,699

-33.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.86 MRU 1,880

$88.5 R 1,472

-47.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$192 MRU 7,711

$492 R 8,189

-60.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MRU 5,550

$398 R 6,617

-65.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 MRU 29.5K

$946 R 15.7K

-22.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 MRU 11.3K

$827 R 13.8K

-65.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 MRU 25.7K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-57.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

78.09%

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

Last update for Mauritania: October 27, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mauritania

$212 27.6%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 2% $4.3

Groceries & Markets

Mauritania

$145 18.8%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 35.6% $51

Accommodation & Living

Mauritania

$138 18%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 188% $259

Sport & Entertainment

Mauritania

$96 12.5%

South Africa

$47 4% 50.6% $49

Eating Out

Mauritania

$81 10.6%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 93.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Mauritania

$69 9%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 82% $57

Getting Around

Mauritania

$26 3.4%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 170% $45

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $176 in Mauritania, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $288 in Nouakchott vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $641 in Mauritania, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 86% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 177% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 2.3 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Mauritania

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

11:30 11:30 AM

2 h ahead of Mauritania

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,736,139

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MRU = 2.49 USD

100 MRU = 2.24 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MRU – Mauritanian Ouguiya Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇷 Mauritanian Ouguiya (UM)

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.13 MRU (100 MRU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.66 MRU (100 MRU = 2.24 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MRU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mauritania South Africa 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mauritania
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $767 per month in Mauritania and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 57% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mauritania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $422 in South Africa and $176 in Mauritania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Mauritania, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mauritania wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.