Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Name: Nicaragua
Address: NI

For one person, living is cheaper in Nicaragua: $955 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Nicaragua
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Nicaragua Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Costa Rica and in Nicaragua

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

A single person spends $1,821 per month in Costa Rica vs $955 in Nicaragua, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,821
Nicaragua $955

A couple spends around $2,773 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,508 in Nicaragua, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,773
Nicaragua $1,508

A family of three spends $3,725 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,061 in Nicaragua, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,725
Nicaragua $2,061

Cost ranges are similar: Costa Rica spans $1,004–$2,114, Nicaragua $116–$1,054. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 91% higher than in Nicaragua on average.

Costa Rica sits 34% above the global median, while Nicaragua is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 ₡5,085

$5.02 NIO 184

124.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 ₡24.6K

$30.93 NIO 1,133

76.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 ₡4,975

$7.44 NIO 273

48.12%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ₡1,999

$2.39 NIO 87.6

85.36%

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

$2.34 ₡1,055

$0.83 NIO 30.52

181.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡829

$0.66 NIO 24.03

178.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,473

$1.33 NIO 48.70

145.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,054

$1.97 NIO 72.2

130.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,105

$1.21 NIO 44.49

102.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.06 NIO 75.4

72.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ₡1,245

$1.66 NIO 60.8

66.27%

Eggs

$3.97 ₡1,794

$2.24 NIO 82.1

77.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 ₡4,728

$9.44 NIO 346

10.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 ₡4,507

$5.96 NIO 218

67.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,278

$7.99 NIO 293

74.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 ₡2,283

$4.74 NIO 174

6.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡764

$0.80 NIO 29.12

111.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 ₡1,558

$1.97 NIO 72.2

75.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,460

$2.37 NIO 86.7

36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,555

$3.74 NIO 137

-8.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₡1,465

$2.23 NIO 81.7

45.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡492

$1.05 NIO 38.32

3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,204

$1.09 NIO 39.82

144.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,427

$3.64 NIO 133

47.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 ₡6,996

$13.32 NIO 488

16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,241

$1.43 NIO 52.3

92.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,489

$2.13 NIO 78.2

54.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.14 NIO 5.03

707.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.6K

$6.17 NIO 226

962.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡979

$1.46 NIO 53.4

48.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ₡913

$1.42 NIO 51.9

42.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,036

$6.84 NIO 251

30.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.37 NIO 50.2

17.52%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$22.7K NIO 830.0K

52.21%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$26.5K NIO 971.2K

40.88%

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

$94.9 ₡42.9K

$111 NIO 4,080

-14.77%

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

$31.42 ₡14.2K

$17.74 NIO 650

77.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$36.38 NIO 1,332

60.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ₡29.7K

$34.48 NIO 1,263

90.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 ₡10.0K

$15.16 NIO 555

46.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ₡3,656

$9.68 NIO 355

-16.32%

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

$722 ₡325.9K

$234 NIO 8,568

208.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ₡5.8M

$6,648 NIO 243.5K

94.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.1K

$54.5 NIO 1,997

38.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.5K

$44.48 NIO 1,629

26.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.9K

$112 NIO 4,086

14.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.8K

$121 NIO 4,446

-10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 ₡433.4K

$346 NIO 12.7K

177.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₡319.6K

$214 NIO 7,826

231.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 ₡789.4K

$609 NIO 22.3K

187.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 ₡548.5K

$456 NIO 16.7K

166.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 ₡1.2M

$1,179 NIO 43.2K

125.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 ₡830.1K

$687 NIO 25.1K

167.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₡477.8K

$357 NIO 13.1K

196.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

11.94

-19.93%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nicaragua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$708 38.9%

Nicaragua

$214 22.4% 69.8% $494

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$380 20.9%

Nicaragua

$250 26.1% 34.3% $130

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$218 12%

Nicaragua

$108 11.3% 50.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.2%

Nicaragua

$166 17.3% 10.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Nicaragua

$149 15.6% 9.9% $16

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Nicaragua

$15 1.6% 81.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Nicaragua

$54 5.6% 34.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $855 in Costa Rica vs $309 in Nicaragua. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,164 in San Jose and $256 in Managua.

Average salary: $1,087 in Costa Rica vs $321 in Nicaragua. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 177% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 69% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 1240% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

Same time as Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

6,676,948

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.87 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Costa Rica Nicaragua 340 km

From you

Costa Rica
Nicaragua

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

Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nicaragua is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $309 in Nicaragua.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Nicaragua – part of why living there is about 48% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Nicaragua, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Nicaragua is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.