Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $807 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Nouakchott

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $807 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Nouakchott $807

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,326 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Nouakchott $1,326

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,845 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Nouakchott $1,845

Rio de Janeiro costs about 46% more than Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Nouakchott are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Nouakchott 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.55

$2.54 MRU 102

257.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$24.12 MRU 968

54.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.88

$5.97 MRU 240

34.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 MRU 68.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MRU 67.8

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$2.32 MRU 93.1

-5.60%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.79 MRU 71.8

-18.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.28

$2.12 MRU 85.3

-53.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.44

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.67

$1.61 MRU 64.5

-34.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$0.28 MRU 11.36

607.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.38 MRU 55.3

-15.22%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$2.25 MRU 90.4

-1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$6.01 MRU 241

68.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.01

$5.47 MRU 220

-24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.05

$7.31 MRU 293

25.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$3.24 MRU 130

-16.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.82 MRU 73.2

-6.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.55 MRU 62.3

-1.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.16 MRU 46.58

43.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.93 MRU 37.54

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$0.88 MRU 35.41

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.73 MRU 29.19

-10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.61 MRU 24.49

-1.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.25 MRU 411

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MRU 105

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MRU 68.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.95

$2.45 MRU 98.3

13.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.47 MRU 18.92

91.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$21.95 MRU 881

141.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.90 MRU 36.18

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.38 MRU 15.38

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.76

$3.54 MRU 142

136.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.41 MRU 56.8

-14.18%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$7,363 MRU 295.6K

191.54%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$8,951 MRU 359.4K

247.83%

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

$124 R$666

$127 MRU 5,103

-2.08%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$21.88 MRU 879

-54.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$59.2 MRU 2,375

-64.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$85.1 MRU 3,415

-66.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$249 MRU 10.0K

-88.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.73

$4.08 MRU 164

86.76%

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

$563 R$3,010

$449 MRU 18.0K

25.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$7,617 MRU 305.8K

58.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$15.34 MRU 616

155.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$22.81 MRU 916

103.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$67.8 MRU 2,721

0.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$46.43 MRU 1,864

36.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,151

$288 MRU 11.6K

169.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,531

$174 MRU 6,999

171.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,438

$728 MRU 29.2K

91.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,952

$317 MRU 12.7K

133.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,397

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$641 MRU 25.8K

-6.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-40.35%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Nouakchott

$174 21.6% 63.2% $299

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Nouakchott

$155 19.2% 23% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Nouakchott

$208 25.8% 34% $53

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Nouakchott

$82 10.1% 45.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Nouakchott

$69 8.5% 29.9% $29

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Nouakchott

$27 3.3% 56.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Nouakchott

$93 11.6% 114% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $288 in Nouakchott. 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 7% higher in Nouakchott, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $24 in Nouakchott. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $155 – making Nouakchott the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

11:54 11:54 AM

14:54 2:54 PM

3 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 MRU = 2.49 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.97 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 MRU (100 MRU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.81 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Nouakchott 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Nouakchott

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

Rio de Janeiro vs Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 46% 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 $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,211 in Nouakchott. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $807 in Nouakchott. That makes Nouakchott about 32% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Nouakchott. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $807 in Nouakchott. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Nouakchott – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Nouakchott is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.