Moving to Nouakchott

Today we look at moving to Nouakchott in Mauritania from Vilnius in Lithuania. We highlight cost of living and other major differences likely to be experienced in our series of short blogs on moving between different international locations.
In Nouakchott people speak Arabic (official) and French. In Vilnius people speak Lithuanian and Russian.

Nouakchott is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. Vilnius is the largest city and the capital of Lithuania. Nouakchott is the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania. Vilnius is the major economic centre of Lithuania and one of the largest financial centres of the Baltic states. Even though it is home to only 15% of Lithuania's population, it generates approximately 25% of Lithuania's GDP.

The overall cost of living rank in Nouakchott is 288 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with low cost of living locations. An expatriate moving from Vilnius to Nouakchott will experience a change in cost of living of -25.9%.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Nouakchott is ranked as an extreme hardship location with a hardship index of 40% compared to Vilnius with a hardship index of 30% which is a high degree of hardship location.

Source: http://www.xpatulator.com as at July 2011.

Mauritania, Nouakchott Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: The Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Location: Mauritania is in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara.

Country Climate: Desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty.

Country Terrain: Mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills.

Major Languages: Arabic (official), French, others.

Major Religions: Islam.

Country Population: 3.0 million (2008 est.) 3.1 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Mauritania still depends on agriculture and livestock for the majority of the population, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for almost 50% of total exports.

Currency: Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRO).

Country Inflation: 7.3% (2008 est.) 4.9% (2009 est.).

City: Nouakchott is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania.

City Economy: Nouakchott is the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania.
Cost of Living: Nouakchott has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Nouakchott is currently ranked 242 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

For more cost of living information on Mauritania, Nouakchott

Mauritania, Nouakchott Cost of Living January 2010

LOCATION: Mauritania is in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara.

CAPITAL CITY: Nouakchott

LARGEST CITY: Nouakchott

CURRENCY: Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRO)

ECONOMY: Mauritania is a low-income developing country. The economy consists of agriculture, fishing and iron ore.

Nouakchott has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Nouakchott is currently ranked 228 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations. The cost of living overview for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs for alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 165 out of 276.

Clothing costs for clothing and footwear products such as business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 219 out of 276.

Communication costs for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 166 out of 276.

Education costs such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 224 out of 276.

Furniture & Appliance costs for furniture, household equipment and household appliances such as dvd player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 58 out of 276.

Grocery costs for food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 85 out of 276.

Healthcare costs for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance such as general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 174 out of 276.

Household costs for housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes such as house / flat mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 254 out of 276.

Miscellaneous costs related to stationary, linen and general goods and services such as domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 215 out of 276.

Personal Care costs for personal care products and services such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 124 out of 276.

Recreation and Culture costs such as books, camera film, cinema ticket, DVD and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 126 out of 276.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs such as business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food) is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 143 out of 276.

Transport costs for public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance such as hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 225 out of 276.

Your exact customized cost of living index for Nouakchott is based on which of the above basket groups as well as the comparison location you select in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Nouakchott is ranked as an extreme hardship location with a hardship index of 40%.

Your exact customized hardship index premium for Nouakchott is based on the comparison location that you select in the Calculators.

Souce: Mauritania, Nouakchott Cost of Living