Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $807 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $807 in Nouakchott.

Mexico City $1,608
Nouakchott $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,326 in Nouakchott.

Mexico City $2,549
Nouakchott $1,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,845 in Nouakchott.

Mexico City $3,490
Nouakchott $1,845

Living in Mexico City is roughly 99% more expensive than in Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Nouakchott is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.54 MRU 102

318.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$907

$24.12 MRU 968

100.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.97 MRU 240

73.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 MRU 68.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MRU 67.8

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.32 MRU 93.1

59.05%

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

$1.67 MX$31.25

$1.79 MRU 71.8

-6.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$2.12 MRU 85.3

-40.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.34

$1.61 MRU 64.5

6.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$0.28 MRU 11.36

985.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.38 MRU 55.3

40.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.25 MRU 90.4

28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.01 MRU 241

82.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$5.47 MRU 220

69.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.31 MRU 293

106.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.24 MRU 130

-5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.82 MRU 73.2

6.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.98

$1.55 MRU 62.3

30.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.40

$1.16 MRU 46.58

99.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.16

$0.93 MRU 37.54

119.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.75

$0.88 MRU 35.41

104.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.74

$0.73 MRU 29.19

102.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$0.61 MRU 24.49

108.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.25 MRU 411

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MRU 105

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MRU 68.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.45 MRU 98.3

116.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.47 MRU 18.92

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$21.95 MRU 881

-10.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.45

$0.90 MRU 36.18

104.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.38 MRU 15.38

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.3

$3.54 MRU 142

49.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.32

$1.41 MRU 56.8

7.09%

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

$21.8K MX$407.9K

$7,363 MRU 295.6K

195.45%

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

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$8,951 MRU 359.4K

167.97%

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

$63.0 MX$1,181

$127 MRU 5,103

-50.45%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$21.88 MRU 879

25.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$669

$59.2 MRU 2,375

-39.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$85.1 MRU 3,415

-30.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$249 MRU 10.0K

-90.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.08 MRU 164

56.86%

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

$432 MX$8,092

$449 MRU 18.0K

-3.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.2K

$7,617 MRU 305.8K

49.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,279

$15.34 MRU 616

344.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$22.81 MRU 916

132.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,021

$67.8 MRU 2,721

59.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,199

$46.43 MRU 1,864

152.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$288 MRU 11.6K

287.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$174 MRU 6,999

307.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$728 MRU 29.2K

255.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$317 MRU 12.7K

343.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$641 MRU 25.8K

47.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-43.25%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Nouakchott

$174 21.6% 75.5% $536

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Nouakchott

$155 19.2% 51.6% $165

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Nouakchott

$82 10.1% 58.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Nouakchott

$69 8.5% 56% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Nouakchott

$208 25.8% 65.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Nouakchott

$93 11.6% 30% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Nouakchott

$27 3.3% 4.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $288 in Nouakchott. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 47% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $24 in Nouakchott for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $155 per month, with Nouakchott cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

14:55 2:55 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MRU = 2.49 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 MRU (100 MRU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.81 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Nouakchott 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $807 in Nouakchott, so Nouakchott is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $288 in Nouakchott. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 10% less than in Nouakchott. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $449 in Nouakchott. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Nouakchott is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nouakchott wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.