Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nouakchott and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $820 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
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Nouakchott Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$820

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nouakchott and in Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $820 in Nouakchott versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Nouakchott $820
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,322 in Nouakchott versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Nouakchott $1,322
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,824 in Nouakchott versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Nouakchott $1,824
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Nouakchott costs roughly 51% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nouakchott is 39% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 MRU 99.0

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-86.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.09 MRU 965

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-62.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 MRU 239

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-53.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 MRU 71.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 MRU 71.5

Cappuccino

$2.30 MRU 92.2

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-42.21%

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

$1.81 MRU 72.5

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-11.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MRU 85.7

$1.55 ARS 2,348

38.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MRU 62.5

$1.44 ARS 2,180

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 MRU 11.31

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-88.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MRU 53.2

$1.63 ARS 2,466

-18.40%

Eggs

$2.25 MRU 90.2

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.13 MRU 246

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-42.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 MRU 212

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-47.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 MRU 286

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-47.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MRU 127

$2.75 ARS 4,165

15.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MRU 75.9

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 MRU 61.8

$1.45 ARS 2,204

6.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MRU 44.89

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-43.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MRU 40.09

$1.24 ARS 1,884

-19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 MRU 35.39

$1.27 ARS 1,920

-30.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MRU 29.49

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-56.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MRU 23.83

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-65.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.91 MRU 397

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 MRU 101

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 MRU 68.2

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 MRU 98.4

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-41.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 MRU 17.37

$0.75 ARS 1,131

-42.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 MRU 885

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-18.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 MRU 34.06

$1.62 ARS 2,450

-47.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MRU 15.35

$0.98 ARS 1,480

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 MRU 149

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-51.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MRU 58.3

$1.36 ARS 2,057

7.35%

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

$7,507 MRU 300.7K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-73.20%

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

$9,007 MRU 360.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-73.92%

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

$129 MRU 5,169

$216 ARS 326.8K

-40.14%

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

$22.36 MRU 896

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-12.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 MRU 2,412

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

92.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.4 MRU 3,539

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

77.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$250 MRU 9,995

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

1362.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.98 MRU 159

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-61.84%

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

$450 MRU 18.0K

$466 ARS 706.5K

-3.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,440 MRU 298.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-17.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.25 MRU 611

$122 ARS 185.1K

-87.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.00 MRU 921

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-76.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 MRU 2,687

$117 ARS 177.3K

-42.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.05 MRU 1,844

$140 ARS 211.8K

-67.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 MRU 11.9K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-61.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 MRU 7,063

$505 ARS 765.8K

-65.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 MRU 29.1K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-54.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 MRU 12.7K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-73.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$624 MRU 25.0K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-34.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-65.07%

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

Last update for Nouakchott: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nouakchott

$212 26%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 28.8% $61

Accommodation & Living

Nouakchott

$176 21.7%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 187% $329

Groceries & Markets

Nouakchott

$153 18.8%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 85.7% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Nouakchott

$96 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 26.6% $26

Eating Out

Nouakchott

$81 10%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 244% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Nouakchott

$68 8.4%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 215% $146

Getting Around

Nouakchott

$27 3.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 37.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Nouakchott and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 53% 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: $24.00 in Nouakchott vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $153 vs $284 per month, with Nouakchott cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

3 h behind Nouakchott

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

958,399 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MRU – Mauritanian Ouguiya Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇷 Mauritanian Ouguiya (UM)

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.05 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 44.92 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MRU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nouakchott Buenos Aires 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nouakchott
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nouakchott and Buenos Aires differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($820 vs $1,685 including rent). Nouakchott is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $297 in Nouakchott versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $450 in Nouakchott versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $820 in Nouakchott versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nouakchott but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Nouakchott the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Nouakchott and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nouakchott gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.