Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chinandega and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Chinandega: $772 a month against $1,054 in San Juan del Sur, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Juan del Sur outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Chinandega
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Chinandega Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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Chinandega

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$772

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chinandega and in San Juan del Sur

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

A single person spends $772 per month in Chinandega vs $1,054 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Chinandega $772
San Juan del Sur $1,054

A couple spends around $1,234 per month in Chinandega vs $1,667 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Chinandega $1,234
San Juan del Sur $1,667

A family of three spends $1,696 per month in Chinandega vs $2,280 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Chinandega $1,696
San Juan del Sur $2,280

Chinandega is about 27% cheaper than San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chinandega and San Juan del Sur are more affordable than the global median – Chinandega 43% lower, San Juan del Sur 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.14 NIO 371

$4.27 NIO 156

137.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.36 NIO 1,259

$33.86 NIO 1,240

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 NIO 286

$5.77 NIO 211

35.53%

Cappuccino

$2.55 NIO 93.5

$2.65 NIO 96.9

-3.77%

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

$0.85 NIO 30.97

$0.85 NIO 31.03

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.89

$0.67 NIO 24.57

8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NIO 56.4

$1.53 NIO 56.2

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NIO 84.5

$2.22 NIO 81.2

4.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.55

$1.19 NIO 43.49

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 NIO 89.0

$1.54 NIO 56.5

57.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NIO 68.1

$1.18 NIO 43.12

57.63%

Eggs

$2.35 NIO 86.0

$2.38 NIO 87.2

-1.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 NIO 429

$7.72 NIO 283

51.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 NIO 239

$6.51 NIO 239

0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 NIO 277

$7.73 NIO 283

-2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 NIO 149

$4.06 NIO 149

0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 NIO 21.52

$0.62 NIO 22.89

-4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 NIO 66.4

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 NIO 90.6

$2.37 NIO 86.9

4.22%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 NIO 148

$3.23 NIO 118

25.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 80.0

$2.21 NIO 80.9

-1.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 40.00

$1.08 NIO 39.69

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 NIO 36.78

$1.05 NIO 38.61

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 NIO 99.0

Wine (Bottle)

$14.63 NIO 536

$9.91 NIO 363

47.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NIO 54.7

$1.41 NIO 51.6

5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NIO 79.0

$2.26 NIO 82.7

-4.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 NIO 61.0

$1.59 NIO 58.1

5.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NIO 60.9

$1.58 NIO 57.9

5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 NIO 246

$6.88 NIO 252

-2.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 NIO 47.64

$1.29 NIO 47.27

0.78%

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

$22.5K NIO 825.0K

$22.5K NIO 824.8K

0.02%

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

$26.9K NIO 985.2K

$26.5K NIO 970.5K

1.51%

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

$102 NIO 3,731

$60.5 NIO 2,216

68.34%

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

$19.81 NIO 725

$10.52 NIO 385

88.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.82 NIO 1,166

$32.21 NIO 1,180

-1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 NIO 1,118

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 NIO 334

$9.02 NIO 331

1.22%

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

$234 NIO 8,558

$235 NIO 8,624

-0.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,961 NIO 218.3K

$6,153 NIO 225.4K

-3.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,187

$60.0 NIO 2,197

-0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 NIO 2,402

$64.1 NIO 2,348

2.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 NIO 4,476

$121 NIO 4,419

1.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NIO 5,221

$143 NIO 5,244

-0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 NIO 15.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 NIO 14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$943 NIO 34.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 NIO 28.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$355 NIO 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

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

Last update for Chinandega: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chinandega

$261 33.8%

San Juan del Sur

$226 21.4% 13.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chinandega

$176 22.7%

San Juan del Sur

$175 16.6% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

Chinandega

$154 19.9%

San Juan del Sur

$101 9.6% 34.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chinandega

$154 19.9%

San Juan del Sur

$103 9.8% 32.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chinandega

$18 * 2.4%

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6% 166% $30

Getting Around

Chinandega

$10 * 1.3%

San Juan del Sur

$9.5 * 0.9% 4.8% $0.5

Accommodation & Living

Chinandega

- * 0%

San Juan del Sur

$391 37.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Chinandega versus $34 in San Juan del Sur. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Chinandega vs $226 in San Juan del Sur – so San Juan del Sur wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Chinandega

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

Same time as Chinandega

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,578

14,741

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chinandega San Juan del Sur 210 km

From you

Chinandega
San Juan del Sur

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

Chinandega vs San Juan del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $772 in Chinandega, $1,054 in San Juan del Sur – Chinandega comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,159 per month in Chinandega and $1,581 in San Juan del Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $234 per month in Chinandega and $235 in San Juan del Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $772 in Chinandega and $1,054 in San Juan del Sur. That makes Chinandega about 27% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $772 in Chinandega and $1,054 in San Juan del Sur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan del Sur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $772 in Chinandega to $1,054 in San Juan del Sur. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.