Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nouakchott and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $820 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$820

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $820 per month in Nouakchott vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nouakchott $820
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,322 per month in Nouakchott vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nouakchott $1,322
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,824 per month in Nouakchott vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nouakchott $1,824
Cape Town $3,307

Nouakchott is about 48% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nouakchott sits 39% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 MRU 98.9

$11.78 R 194

-79.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.09 MRU 964

$46.55 R 768

-48.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 MRU 239

$5.96 R 98.4

0.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 MRU 71.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 MRU 71.5

Cappuccino

$2.30 MRU 92.2

$2.47 R 40.80

-6.88%

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

$1.81 MRU 72.5

$1.33 R 21.91

36.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MRU 85.7

$1.03 R 16.99

107.77%

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)

$1.56 MRU 62.5

$1.39 R 22.96

12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 MRU 11.31

$1.19 R 19.60

-76.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MRU 53.2

$2.11 R 34.84

-36.97%

Eggs

$2.25 MRU 90.1

$3.01 R 49.58

-25.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.13 MRU 246

$8.96 R 148

-31.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 MRU 212

$6.65 R 110

-20.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 MRU 286

$9.29 R 153

-23.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MRU 127

$1.83 R 30.13

73.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MRU 75.8

$1.90 R 31.31

-0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 MRU 61.7

$1.75 R 28.83

-12.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MRU 44.88

$2.09 R 34.41

-46.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MRU 40.08

$1.55 R 25.64

-35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 MRU 35.38

$1.49 R 24.53

-40.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MRU 29.48

$1.30 R 21.41

-43.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MRU 23.83

$1.16 R 19.19

-48.28%

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 68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 MRU 98.3

$3.71 R 61.2

-33.69%

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)

$0.43 MRU 17.37

$1.51 R 24.98

-71.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 MRU 885

$61.0 R 1,006

-63.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 MRU 34.05

$0.63 R 10.33

34.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MRU 15.34

$1.53 R 25.29

-75.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 MRU 149

$4.81 R 79.4

-22.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MRU 58.3

$1.58 R 26.08

-7.59%

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

$7,507 MRU 300.6K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-78.85%

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

$9,007 MRU 360.6K

$31.7K R 523.8K

-71.63%

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

$129 MRU 5,167

$116 R 1,920

10.89%

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

$22.36 MRU 895

$28.37 R 468

-21.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 MRU 2,412

$40.69 R 671

48.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.4 MRU 3,538

$48.85 R 806

80.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$250 MRU 9,993

$11.13 R 184

2142.32%

Cinema Ticket

$3.98 MRU 159

$8.83 R 146

-54.93%

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

$450 MRU 18.0K

$261 R 4,314

71.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,440 MRU 297.9K

$6,702 R 110.6K

11.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.25 MRU 610

$55.4 R 914

-72.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.00 MRU 921

$32.27 R 532

-28.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 MRU 2,687

$118 R 1,939

-42.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.05 MRU 1,844

$107 R 1,766

-56.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 MRU 11.9K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-70.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 MRU 7,061

$715 R 11.8K

-75.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 MRU 29.1K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-59.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 MRU 12.7K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-76.17%

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)

$624 MRU 25.0K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-61.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

82.32%

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

Last update for Nouakchott: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nouakchott

$212 26%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 12.4% $26

Accommodation & Living

Nouakchott

$176 21.7%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 306% $539

Groceries & Markets

Nouakchott

$153 18.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 45.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Nouakchott

$96 11.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 30.9% $30

Eating Out

Nouakchott

$81 10%

Cape Town

$174 11% 114% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Nouakchott

$68 8.4%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 106% $72

Getting Around

Nouakchott

$27 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 183% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Nouakchott 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.

Salaries run about 162% higher in Cape Town, 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 $24.00 in Nouakchott versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $222 – making Nouakchott the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

2 h ahead of Nouakchott

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

958,399 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nouakchott Cape Town 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nouakchott
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

Nouakchott vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 91% more than Nouakchott, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,231 per month in Nouakchott 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 Nouakchott, 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 $820 in Nouakchott and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 176% less in Nouakchott. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nouakchott, where all-in costs run around $820, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Nouakchott 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. Nouakchott costs $820 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 Nouakchott. 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.