Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nouakchott and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $809 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
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Nouakchott Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$809

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nouakchott and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $809 per month in Nouakchott vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nouakchott $809
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,337 per month in Nouakchott vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nouakchott $1,337
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Nouakchott vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nouakchott $1,864
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Nouakchott is about 33% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nouakchott and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nouakchott 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 MRU 97.5

$10.86 MX$201

-77.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 MRU 993

$44.21 MX$817

-43.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MRU 237

$11.76 MX$217

-49.74%

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

$3.68 MX$68.0

-38.59%

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

$1.76 MRU 70.3

$1.34 MX$24.79

31.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 MRU 87.1

$0.82 MX$15.24

164.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MRU 63.1

$1.47 MX$27.17

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 MRU 11.29

$2.22 MX$40.95

-87.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MRU 53.6

$1.48 MX$27.32

-9.46%

Eggs

$2.39 MRU 95.7

$2.49 MX$45.99

-4.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.01 MRU 241

$7.52 MX$139

-20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 MRU 220

$7.96 MX$147

-31.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.03 MRU 282

$12.57 MX$232

-44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MRU 128

$2.78 MX$51.3

15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MRU 74.0

$1.43 MX$26.37

29.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 MRU 64.2

$2.62 MX$48.37

-38.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MRU 44.90

$2.14 MX$39.49

-47.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MRU 40.17

$2.02 MX$37.38

-50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 MRU 35.51

$1.99 MX$36.74

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MRU 29.89

$1.14 MX$21.01

-34.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 MRU 25.69

$1.20 MX$22.18

-46.67%

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

$4.26 MX$78.7

-42.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 MRU 17.38

$0.53 MX$9.73

-18.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.81 MRU 874

$27.51 MX$508

-20.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 MRU 35.63

$4.90 MX$90.6

-81.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MRU 14.26

$3.43 MX$63.5

-89.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 MRU 149

$5.38 MX$99.4

-30.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MRU 56.6

$1.45 MX$26.76

-2.76%

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

$7,372 MRU 295.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-65.15%

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

$9,263 MRU 371.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-59.76%

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

$128 MRU 5,147

$85.4 MX$1,577

50.52%

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

$22.12 MRU 886

$23.46 MX$434

-5.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 MRU 2,440

$28.43 MX$525

114.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.5 MRU 3,506

$62.2 MX$1,149

40.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$252 MRU 10.1K

$28.68 MX$530

778.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.03 MRU 162

$5.10 MX$94.3

-20.98%

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

$437 MRU 17.5K

$201 MX$3,715

117.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,506 MRU 300.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

90.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.49 MRU 621

$44.39 MX$820

-65.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 MRU 933

$41.35 MX$764

-43.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 MRU 2,701

$72.7 MX$1,344

-7.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.80 MRU 1,875

$89.6 MX$1,656

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 MRU 11.8K

$979 MX$18.1K

-69.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 MRU 6,878

$373 MX$6,887

-53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 MRU 29.3K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-56.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 MRU 13.0K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-70.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 MRU 25.6K

$738 MX$13.6K

-13.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

74.67%

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

Last update for Nouakchott: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nouakchott

$212 26.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 35.1% $74

Accommodation & Living

Nouakchott

$172 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 117% $201

Groceries & Markets

Nouakchott

$155 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 67.1% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Nouakchott

$96 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 24.3% $23

Eating Out

Nouakchott

$80 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 150% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Nouakchott

$69 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 62.1% $43

Getting Around

Nouakchott

$26 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 97.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $295 in Nouakchott versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 15% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $258 – making Nouakchott the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

08:24 8:24 AM

5 h behind Nouakchott

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

958,399 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MRU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nouakchott Playa del Carmen 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nouakchott
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 49% 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 $1,213 per month in Nouakchott and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $809 in Nouakchott and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 26% 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 $809, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Nouakchott it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nouakchott costs $809 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.