Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Mauritania

Name: Mauritania
Address: MR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mauritania: $767 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Mauritania
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Mauritania Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Mauritania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $767 in Mauritania.

South Africa $1,203
Mauritania $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,280 in Mauritania.

South Africa $1,893
Mauritania $1,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $1,793 in Mauritania.

South Africa $2,583
Mauritania $1,793

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $267–$807 in Mauritania. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in South Africa is roughly 57% more expensive than in Mauritania on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Mauritania 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$2.56 MRU 103

316.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$23.06 MRU 926

80.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$6.05 MRU 243

-4.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MRU 69.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 MRU 68.0

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$2.26 MRU 90.8

4.42%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.78 MRU 71.3

-37.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$2.10 MRU 84.3

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.48 MRU 59.3

-20.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$0.28 MRU 11.37

303.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.32 MRU 53.0

31.82%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.30 MRU 92.2

11.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$5.88 MRU 236

43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$5.28 MRU 212

-3.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$6.48 MRU 260

17.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$2.91 MRU 117

-39.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.74 MRU 70.0

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$1.42 MRU 56.8

24.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$0.86 MRU 34.62

104.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$0.86 MRU 34.66

73.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$0.73 MRU 29.18

101.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.71 MRU 28.54

73.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.59 MRU 23.81

86.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.16 MRU 408

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 MRU 104

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 MRU 67.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.52 MRU 101

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.43 MRU 17.18

244.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$22.04 MRU 884

168.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$0.84 MRU 33.79

29.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.35 MRU 14.13

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$4.84 MRU 194

54.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.33 MRU 53.3

7.52%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$7,496 MRU 300.8K

370.94%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$8,991 MRU 360.8K

260.74%

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

$133 R 2,208

$130 MRU 5,213

2.19%

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

$34.83 R 580

$22.09 MRU 886

57.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$59.6 MRU 2,393

-33.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$87.9 MRU 3,527

-62.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$253 MRU 10.2K

-95.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$4.08 MRU 164

75.98%

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

$224 R 3,728

$434 MRU 17.4K

-48.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$7,580 MRU 304.2K

-27.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$15.43 MRU 619

251.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$22.70 MRU 911

50.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$68.3 MRU 2,741

49.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$46.86 MRU 1,880

88.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$192 MRU 7,711

156.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$138 MRU 5,550

187.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$735 MRU 29.5K

28.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$283 MRU 11.3K

192.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$640 MRU 25.7K

134.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-43.85%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mauritania: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Mauritania

$138 18% 65.2% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Mauritania

$212 27.6% 2.1% $4.3

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Mauritania

$145 18.8% 26.2% $51

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Mauritania

$81 10.6% 48.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Mauritania

$69 9% 45% $57

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Mauritania

$26 3.4% 63% $45

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Mauritania

$96 12.5% 103% $49

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $176 in Mauritania. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $288 in Nouakchott.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $641 in Mauritania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 86% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 177% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 2.3 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇲🇷 Mauritania

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

10:24 10:24 AM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

4,736,139

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MRU = 2.49 USD

100 MRU = 2.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.13 MRU (100 MRU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.66 MRU (100 MRU = 2.24 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Mauritania 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Mauritania

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

South Africa vs Mauritania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $767 per month in Mauritania and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 57% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mauritania: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $422 in South Africa and $176 in Mauritania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Mauritania, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mauritania wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.