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 54.7% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 66.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 57.7% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 73.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 ₡5,052

$4.13 NIO 152

146.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 ₡30.0K

$29.96 NIO 1,103

101.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 ₡5,041

$6.58 NIO 242

54.56%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,933

$2.21 NIO 81.3

76.47%

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

$2.19 ₡1,086

$0.77 NIO 28.37

184.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₡819

$0.68 NIO 25.05

142.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ₡1,460

$1.33 NIO 49.11

121.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡2,142

$2.05 NIO 75.4

110.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₡1,005

$1.17 NIO 43.05

73.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,576

$1.94 NIO 71.6

63.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,234

$1.64 NIO 60.5

51.83%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,688

$2.03 NIO 74.7

67.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 ₡4,584

$8.13 NIO 299

13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 ₡4,670

$6.20 NIO 228

51.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 ₡6,583

$7.74 NIO 285

71.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,235

$4.01 NIO 148

12.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₡763

$1.17 NIO 42.99

31.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 ₡1,673

$2.41 NIO 88.7

39.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 ₡1,458

$2.05 NIO 75.5

43.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 ₡1,475

$3.56 NIO 131

-16.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 ₡1,403

$1.98 NIO 72.9

42.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡502

$0.86 NIO 31.68

17.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₡1,257

$1.05 NIO 38.54

141.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₡2,494

$3.09 NIO 114

62.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.31 ₡7,589

$10.02 NIO 369

52.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₡1,145

$1.36 NIO 50.2

69.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₡1,347

$2.09 NIO 77.1

30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡475

$0.14 NIO 5.27

585.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.97 ₡24.3K

$5.88 NIO 216

732.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₡893

$1.08 NIO 39.62

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡995

$0.60 NIO 22.18

235.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 ₡3,723

$6.86 NIO 253

9.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡752

$1.31 NIO 48.20

16.03%

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

$36.6K ₡18.2M

$23.3K NIO 857.5K

57.32%

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

$36.0K ₡17.9M

$26.7K NIO 983.1K

34.90%

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

$85.9 ₡42.6K

$76.7 NIO 2,823

12.01%

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

$25.46 ₡12.6K

$17.14 NIO 631

48.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡26.7K

$38.47 NIO 1,416

40.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₡28.4K

$35.48 NIO 1,307

61.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.36 ₡14.6K

$14.92 NIO 549

96.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ₡4,466

$8.23 NIO 303

9.48%

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

$540 ₡267.8K

$107 NIO 3,935

405.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K ₡5.0M

$8,197 NIO 301.8K

22.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡35.5K

$67.3 NIO 2,479

6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡27.2K

$50.6 NIO 1,861

8.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₡58.2K

$101 NIO 3,707

16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₡50.8K

$93.4 NIO 3,437

9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ₡401.7K

$357 NIO 13.2K

126.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 ₡272.9K

$277 NIO 10.2K

98.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 ₡737.8K

$594 NIO 21.9K

150.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 ₡516.9K

$494 NIO 18.2K

111.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 ₡1.2M

$1,211 NIO 44.6K

92.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ₡796.5K

$679 NIO 25.0K

136.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$981 ₡486.2K

$302 NIO 11.1K

224.44%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Nicaragua: January 13, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

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