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 59.4% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 65.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 59.3% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 70.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.65 ₡4,833

$4.24 NIO 155

127.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 ₡29.3K

$29.94 NIO 1,096

95.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.9 ₡4,957

$6.49 NIO 238

52.54%

Cappuccino

$3.9 ₡1,954

$2.14 NIO 78.3

82.24%

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

$2.2 ₡1,100

$0.77 NIO 28.29

185.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₡827

$0.63 NIO 22.99

161.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,517

$1.38 NIO 50.6

119.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,278

$1.96 NIO 71.9

132.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,033

$1.2 NIO 44.11

71.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,530

$2 NIO 73.3

53.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 ₡1,261

$1.64 NIO 60.1

53.66%

Eggs

$3.29 ₡1,646

$2.04 NIO 74.9

61.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 ₡4,650

$8.21 NIO 301

13.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 ₡4,775

$6.11 NIO 224

56.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.6 ₡6,808

$7.86 NIO 288

73.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,337

$4.05 NIO 148

15.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡782

$1.21 NIO 44.35

28.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 ₡1,672

$2.37 NIO 86.7

40.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 ₡1,507

$2.06 NIO 75.3

46.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 ₡1,524

$3.46 NIO 127

-12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 ₡1,426

$1.99 NIO 72.9

43.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡506

$0.9 NIO 32.97

12.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₡1,273

$1 NIO 36.65

154.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 ₡2,434

$3.18 NIO 117

52.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 ₡7,442

$10.19 NIO 373

45.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₡1,137

$1.43 NIO 52.2

58.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,366

$2.14 NIO 78.3

27.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ₡476

$0.13 NIO 4.71

630.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.46 ₡24.8K

$6.13 NIO 225

706.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡904

$1.09 NIO 39.84

66.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 ₡969

$0.63 NIO 23.19

206.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 ₡3,850

$7 NIO 256

9.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₡735

$1.32 NIO 48.17

11.36%

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

$37.4K ₡18.7M

$22.6K NIO 829K

65.21%

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

$34.8K ₡17.4M

$27.4K NIO 1M

26.90%

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

$86.9 ₡43.5K

$75.9 NIO 2,778

14.49%

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

$25.46 ₡12.7K

$17.5 NIO 641

45.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.7 ₡27.4K

$38.62 NIO 1,415

41.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ₡28.9K

$34.82 NIO 1,275

65.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.42 ₡14.2K

$14.8 NIO 542

92.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.08 ₡4,546

$7.78 NIO 285

16.71%

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

$551 ₡275.9K

$109 NIO 3,999

404.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,816 ₡4.9M

$8,316 NIO 304.6K

18.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 ₡36.2K

$65.6 NIO 2,402

10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡27.6K

$50.4 NIO 1,847

9.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₡59.3K

$102 NIO 3,738

16.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ₡52.1K

$96.3 NIO 3,525

8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡408.8K

$360 NIO 13.2K

127.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 ₡269.6K

$277 NIO 10.1K

94.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 ₡748.3K

$614 NIO 22.5K

143.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 ₡510.2K

$496 NIO 18.1K

105.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 ₡1.3M

$1,163 NIO 42.6K

116.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,384 ₡693K

$529 NIO 19.4K

161.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ₡498.8K

$288 NIO 10.5K

246.17%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Nicaragua: October 29, 2025

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