Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nouakchott and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $809 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$809

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nouakchott and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Nouakchott versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Nouakchott $809
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Nouakchott versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Nouakchott $1,337
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,864 in Nouakchott versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Nouakchott $1,864
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Nouakchott costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nouakchott is 40% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 MRU 97.5

$17.04 €15.15

-85.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 MRU 993

$62.3 €55.4

-60.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MRU 237

$11.02 €9.80

-46.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 MRU 69.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MRU 72.0

Cappuccino

$2.26 MRU 90.7

$3.12 €2.78

-27.56%

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

$1.76 MRU 70.3

$2.27 €2.02

-22.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 MRU 87.1

$1.74 €1.55

24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MRU 63.1

$1.17 €1.04

35.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 MRU 11.29

$1.86 €1.66

-84.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MRU 53.6

$1.54 €1.37

-12.99%

Eggs

$2.39 MRU 95.7

$4.06 €3.61

-41.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.01 MRU 241

$12.91 €11.49

-53.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 MRU 220

$7.90 €7.03

-30.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.03 MRU 282

$17.64 €15.69

-60.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MRU 128

$2.26 €2.01

41.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MRU 74.0

$1.75 €1.55

5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 MRU 64.2

$1.89 €1.68

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MRU 44.90

$2.56 €2.27

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MRU 40.17

$1.85 €1.64

-45.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 MRU 35.51

$1.97 €1.75

-54.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MRU 29.89

$1.45 €1.29

-48.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 MRU 25.69

$0.77 €0.69

-16.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.94 MRU 398

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 MRU 102

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MRU 66.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 MRU 98.4

$6.71 €5.97

-63.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 MRU 17.38

$2.32 €2.07

-81.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.81 MRU 874

$44.43 €39.52

-50.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 MRU 35.63

$3.95 €3.51

-77.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MRU 14.26

$1.05 €0.93

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 MRU 149

$17.15 €15.26

-78.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MRU 56.6

$2.19 €1.95

-35.62%

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

$7,372 MRU 295.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

-78.18%

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

$9,263 MRU 371.1K

$38.3K €34.0K

-75.79%

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

$128 MRU 5,147

$164 €146

-21.57%

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

$22.12 MRU 886

$18.48 €16.43

19.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 MRU 2,440

$32.96 €29.32

84.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.5 MRU 3,506

$45.87 €40.80

90.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$252 MRU 10.1K

$18.68 €16.61

1249.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.03 MRU 162

$9.75 €8.67

-58.67%

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

$437 MRU 17.5K

$684 €608

-36.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,506 MRU 300.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

-57.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.49 MRU 621

$104 €92.3

-85.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 MRU 933

$46.20 €41.09

-49.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 MRU 2,701

$99.7 €88.7

-32.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.80 MRU 1,875

$125 €111

-62.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 MRU 11.8K

$1,589 €1,414

-81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 MRU 6,878

$1,169 €1,040

-85.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 MRU 29.3K

$2,851 €2,536

-74.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 MRU 13.0K

$1,993 €1,773

-83.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 MRU 25.6K

$1,600 €1,423

-60.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

419.48%

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

Last update for Nouakchott: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nouakchott

$212 26.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 1.8% $3.8

Accommodation & Living

Nouakchott

$172 21.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 581% $997

Groceries & Markets

Nouakchott

$155 19.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 76.6% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Nouakchott

$96 11.8%

Lisbon

$65 3% 31.6% $30

Eating Out

Nouakchott

$80 9.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 209% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Nouakchott

$69 8.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 145% $100

Getting Around

Nouakchott

$26 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 140% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Nouakchott and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 150% 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: $25.00 in Nouakchott vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $273 per month, with Nouakchott cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

1 h ahead of Nouakchott

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

958,399 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MRU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nouakchott Lisbon 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nouakchott
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nouakchott and Lisbon differ by about 172% in total monthly costs ($809 vs $2,202 including rent). Nouakchott is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 150% lower in Lisbon. 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: $295 in Nouakchott versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $437 in Nouakchott versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $809 in Nouakchott versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nouakchott but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 172% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.