Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nouakchott and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $812 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
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Nouakchott Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$812

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nouakchott and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $812 per month in Nouakchott vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Nouakchott $812
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,330 per month in Nouakchott vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Nouakchott $1,330
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,848 per month in Nouakchott vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Nouakchott $1,848
Bansko $1,979

Nouakchott is about 15% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nouakchott and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Nouakchott 40% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.55 MRU 102

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-70.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 MRU 993

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-44.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.78 MRU 232

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-34.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MRU 70.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MRU 68.6

Cappuccino

$2.33 MRU 93.2

$2.33 BGN 4.05

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

$1.71 MRU 68.6

$1.57 BGN 2.74

8.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 MRU 87.9

$0.82 BGN 1.43

167.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MRU 61.9

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 MRU 11.33

$0.80 BGN 1.40

-65.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MRU 52.8

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-8.33%

Eggs

$2.25 MRU 90.1

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-4.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.05 MRU 242

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-35.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 MRU 217

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-15.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 MRU 293

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 MRU 126

$1.31 BGN 2.28

140.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MRU 72.5

$1.62 BGN 2.82

11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 MRU 62.3

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-10.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MRU 44.57

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-42.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MRU 36.66

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-2.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 MRU 37.24

$0.76 BGN 1.32

22.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 MRU 31.31

$0.55 BGN 0.95

41.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MRU 25.86

$0.59 BGN 1.02

10.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.77 MRU 391

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 MRU 101

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MRU 66.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 MRU 97.3

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-25.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MRU 18.88

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-44.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.41 MRU 858

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-20.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 MRU 35.83

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-33.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MRU 14.24

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-44.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 MRU 141

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-65.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MRU 55.7

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-6.08%

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

$7,420 MRU 297.2K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-74.54%

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

$8,984 MRU 359.9K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-57.05%

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

$130 MRU 5,219

$92.4 BGN 161

40.95%

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

$22.23 MRU 890

$14.52 BGN 25.26

53.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 MRU 2,379

$12.32 BGN 21.43

381.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 MRU 3,419

$31.70 BGN 55.2

169.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$246 MRU 9,838

$8.53 BGN 14.84

2779.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.95 MRU 158

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-29.72%

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

$448 MRU 18.0K

$230 BGN 401

94.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,569 MRU 303.2K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

233.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.95 MRU 599

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-50.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.02 MRU 922

$19.62 BGN 34.13

17.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 MRU 2,750

$45.86 BGN 79.8

49.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.28 MRU 1,894

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-0.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 MRU 11.6K

$518 BGN 902

-44.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 MRU 7,063

$357 BGN 621

-50.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 MRU 29.3K

$614 BGN 1,069

18.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 MRU 12.8K

$569 BGN 990

-43.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 MRU 25.6K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-62.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

568.90%

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

Last update for Nouakchott: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nouakchott

$212 26.1%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 43.7% $93

Accommodation & Living

Nouakchott

$176 21.7%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 102% $181

Groceries & Markets

Nouakchott

$154 18.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 24.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nouakchott

$93 11.5%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 53.9% $50

Eating Out

Nouakchott

$81 10%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 79% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Nouakchott

$69 8.5%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 6.9% $4.8

Getting Around

Nouakchott

$26 3.2%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 34.8% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in Nouakchott versus $518 in Bansko. 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 166% higher in Bansko, 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 $25.00 in Nouakchott versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $192 – making Nouakchott the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

3 h ahead of Nouakchott

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

958,399 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.22 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MRU – Mauritanian Ouguiya Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇷 Mauritanian Ouguiya (UM)

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.06 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 45.04 MRU (100 MRU = 2.22 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MRU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nouakchott Bansko 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nouakchott
Bansko

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

Nouakchott vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $812 in Nouakchott, $956 in Bansko – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,217 per month in Nouakchott and $1,434 in Bansko. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Nouakchott and $45.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $812 in Nouakchott and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nouakchott, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Bansko at $956. In Nouakchott it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $812 in Nouakchott to $956 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.