Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Mauritania

For one person, living is cheaper in Mauritania: $767 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

United States
Mauritania
🇺🇸 United States
$2,734
/mo nomad
🇲🇷 Mauritania
$767
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 the United States and in Mauritania actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,734 in the United States versus $767 in Mauritania.

  • United States $2,734
  • Mauritania $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in the United States versus $1,280 in Mauritania.

  • United States $3,985
  • Mauritania $1,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,235 in the United States versus $1,793 in Mauritania.

  • United States $5,235
  • Mauritania $1,793

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $267–$807 in Mauritania. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the United States is roughly 256% more expensive than in Mauritania on average.

The United States (101% above) and Mauritania (44% below) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.03 $20.03
$2.56 MRU 103
682.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.0 $80.0
$23.06 MRU 926
247.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.80 $11.80
$6.05 MRU 243
95.04%
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
$5.55 $5.55
$2.26 MRU 90.8
145.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 $2.66
$1.78 MRU 71.3
49.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$2.10 MRU 84.3
3.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.12 $6.12
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.48 MRU 59.3
-29.73%
White Bread (500g)
$3.59 $3.59
$0.28 MRU 11.37
1182.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$1.32 MRU 53.0
242.42%
Eggs
$4.28 $4.28
$2.30 MRU 92.2
86.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.22 $13.22
$5.88 MRU 236
124.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.60 $12.60
$5.28 MRU 212
138.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.60 $17.60
$6.48 MRU 260
171.60%
Apples (1kg)
$5.30 $5.30
$2.91 MRU 117
82.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 $1.69
$1.74 MRU 70.0
-2.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$1.42 MRU 56.8
212.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$0.86 MRU 34.62
454.65%
Potato (1kg)
$2.97 $2.97
$0.86 MRU 34.66
245.35%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$0.73 MRU 29.18
331.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 $2.20
$0.71 MRU 28.54
209.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$0.59 MRU 23.81
298.31%
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)
$10.98 $10.98
$2.52 MRU 101
335.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.05 $15.05
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 $3.79
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Mauritania
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.43 MRU 17.18
351.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.4 $59.4
$22.04 MRU 884
169.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.58 $3.58
$0.84 MRU 33.79
326.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 $1.88
$0.35 MRU 14.13
437.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.84 $29.84
$4.84 MRU 194
516.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.33 MRU 53.3
-23.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K $28.8K
$7,496 MRU 300.8K
283.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$8,991 MRU 360.8K
191.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 $218
$130 MRU 5,213
67.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.5 $62.5
$22.09 MRU 886
182.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.5 $74.5
$59.6 MRU 2,393
24.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.86 $41.86
$87.9 MRU 3,527
-52.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.81 $22.81
$253 MRU 10.2K
-90.99%
Cinema Ticket
$14.70 $14.70
$4.08 MRU 164
260.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,489 $1,489
$434 MRU 17.4K
242.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.3K $25.3K
$7,580 MRU 304.2K
233.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 $54.3
$15.43 MRU 619
252.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.71 $42.71
$22.70 MRU 911
88.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.1 $94.1
$68.3 MRU 2,741
37.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$46.86 MRU 1,880
142.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Mauritania
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,659 $1,659
$192 MRU 7,711
763.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,348 $1,348
$138 MRU 5,550
874.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,682 $2,682
$735 MRU 29.5K
264.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,169 $2,169
$283 MRU 11.3K
667.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,283 $3,283
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,482 $2,482
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Mauritania
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,296 $4,296
$640 MRU 25.7K
570.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
20
-67.25%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mauritania: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United States
$1.3K
Mauritania
$138 89.7% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
United States
$415
Mauritania
$145 65.2% $271
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
$355
Mauritania
$212 40.4% $143
Eating Out
United States
$328
Mauritania
$81 75.2% $247
Clothing & Footwear
United States
$137
Mauritania
$69 49.7% $68
Getting Around
United States
$80
Mauritania
$26 67.1% $54
Sport & Entertainment
United States
$71
Mauritania
$96 34.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,620 in the United States, $176 in Mauritania. Capital cities: $2,768 in Washington, DC vs $288 in Nouakchott.

National salary averages: $4,549 in the United States, $641 in Mauritania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 820% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 257% more in the United States.

Public transport is 186% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 7.1 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know
🇺🇸 United States
🇲🇷 Mauritania
🕒 Local time
12:07 12:07 PM
16:07 4:07 PM
4 h ahead of the United States
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,110,988
4,736,139
Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • United States Mauritania 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • United States
  • 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
United States vs Mauritania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Mauritania and the United States?
At $767 per month in Mauritania and $2,734 in the United States, there’s a 256% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
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.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $176 in Mauritania. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Mauritania or to the United States?
It depends on what you’re after: Mauritania wins on affordability; the United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?