Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nouadhibou and Cape Town

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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Nouadhibou

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$263

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Nouadhibou $263
Cape Town $1,568

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

Nouadhibou $486
Cape Town $2,438

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

Nouadhibou $708
Cape Town $3,307

Nouadhibou is about 83% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 MRU 118

$11.78 R 194

-75.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.96 MRU 679

$46.55 R 768

-63.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.99 MRU 240

$5.96 R 98.4

0.50%

Cappuccino

$2.58 MRU 103

$2.47 R 40.80

4.45%

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)

$1.27 MRU 50.8

$1.39 R 22.96

-8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.35 MRU 14.10

$1.19 R 19.60

-70.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MRU 45.96

$2.11 R 34.84

-45.50%

Eggs

$2.12 MRU 84.8

$3.01 R 49.58

-29.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 MRU 107

$6.65 R 110

-59.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.17 MRU 247

$9.29 R 153

-33.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 MRU 70.7

$1.83 R 30.13

-3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MRU 59.4

$1.90 R 31.31

-22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 MRU 43.61

$1.75 R 28.83

-37.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MRU 30.86

$2.09 R 34.41

-63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MRU 28.95

$1.55 R 25.64

-53.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 MRU 27.41

$1.49 R 24.53

-54.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MRU 23.67

$1.30 R 21.41

-54.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 MRU 98.1

$3.71 R 61.2

-33.96%

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)

$0.35 MRU 14.16

$1.51 R 24.98

-76.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 MRU 36.47

$0.63 R 10.33

44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 MRU 292

$4.81 R 79.4

51.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 MRU 49.07

$1.58 R 26.08

-22.15%

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)

$65.2 MRU 2,611

$1,015 R 16.7K

-93.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.4 MRU 3,899

$715 R 11.8K

-86.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 MRU 10.1K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-80.97%

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 Nouadhibou: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Groceries & Markets

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Eating Out

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$174 11%

Clothing & Footwear

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Getting Around

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Nouadhibou

–

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $65.2 in Nouadhibou versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 $17.00 in Nouadhibou versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $93.0 vs $222 – making Nouadhibou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Nouadhibou

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h ahead of Nouadhibou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,953

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.04 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 44.91 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

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).

USD to MRU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Nouadhibou
Cape Town

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

Nouadhibou vs Cape Town: 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 $395 per month in Nouadhibou and $2,352 in Cape Town. 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 $263 in Nouadhibou and $1,568 in Cape Town. 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.