Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Name: Nicaragua
Address: NI

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 58.5% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 68.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 64.6% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 73.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.67 ₡4,545

$4.24 NIO 156

128.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 ₡27.5K

$30.07 NIO 1,106

94.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 ₡4,812

$6.44 NIO 237

58.85%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₡1,868

$2.12 NIO 78.1

87.26%

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

$2.17 ₡1,020

$0.78 NIO 28.63

178.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₡813

$0.68 NIO 25.01

154.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 ₡1,359

$1.38 NIO 50.6

109.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡2,072

$2.03 NIO 74.6

116.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡965

$1.21 NIO 44.55

69.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,452

$2.00 NIO 73.7

54.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,180

$1.59 NIO 58.4

57.86%

Eggs

$3.30 ₡1,551

$2.05 NIO 75.2

60.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 ₡4,308

$8.19 NIO 301

11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 ₡4,370

$6.18 NIO 227

50.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ₡6,190

$7.72 NIO 284

70.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 ₡2,106

$4.15 NIO 153

7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡762

$1.21 NIO 44.46

33.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,512

$2.31 NIO 84.8

39.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 ₡1,403

$2.04 NIO 74.9

46.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 ₡1,415

$3.40 NIO 125

-11.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 ₡1,338

$1.96 NIO 72.1

45.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡476

$0.87 NIO 31.91

16.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,181

$1.02 NIO 37.38

146.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,323

$3.11 NIO 114

58.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 ₡7,394

$9.97 NIO 366

57.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₡1,117

$1.42 NIO 52.3

67.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,275

$2.21 NIO 81.2

22.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡443

$0.16 NIO 5.82

487.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.94 ₡23.0K

$5.83 NIO 214

739.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ₡843

$1.08 NIO 39.88

65.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡945

$0.60 NIO 21.89

235.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 ₡3,680

$6.64 NIO 244

17.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡711

$1.30 NIO 47.73

16.15%

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

$36.8K ₡17.3M

$23.4K NIO 859.2K

57.64%

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

$34.7K ₡16.3M

$27.2K NIO 998.7K

27.88%

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

$86.8 ₡40.8K

$76.1 NIO 2,799

14.03%

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

$25.69 ₡12.1K

$17.33 NIO 637

48.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ₡25.3K

$38.89 NIO 1,430

38.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 ₡26.3K

$34.23 NIO 1,259

63.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.78 ₡13.5K

$14.79 NIO 544

94.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 ₡4,253

$8.22 NIO 302

9.98%

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

$560 ₡263.5K

$110 NIO 4,038

410.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K ₡4.7M

$8,147 NIO 299.6K

22.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 ₡34.0K

$65.7 NIO 2,416

10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 ₡25.6K

$48.98 NIO 1,801

10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₡55.0K

$101 NIO 3,700

16.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₡48.4K

$93.4 NIO 3,433

10.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ₡381.6K

$358 NIO 13.2K

126.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 ₡259.0K

$277 NIO 10.2K

98.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 ₡697.1K

$599 NIO 22.0K

147.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 ₡487.2K

$488 NIO 17.9K

112.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.1M

$1,248 NIO 45.9K

84.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 ₡740.9K

$688 NIO 25.3K

128.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,030 ₡484.4K

$298 NIO 11.0K

245.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

10.25

2.73%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nicaragua: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

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