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 56.7% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 66.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 64.1% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 71% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ₡4,470

$4.33 NIO 159

124.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 ₡27.7K

$30.47 NIO 1,121

98.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 ₡4,549

$6.41 NIO 236

54.76%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₡1,855

$2.21 NIO 81.4

82.81%

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

$2.12 ₡973

$0.82 NIO 30.17

158.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₡752

$0.63 NIO 23.02

160.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 ₡1,338

$1.35 NIO 49.52

116.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ₡2,045

$1.98 NIO 72.7

125.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₡957

$1.21 NIO 44.48

72.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,459

$1.97 NIO 72.6

61.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,104

$1.65 NIO 60.8

46.06%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,574

$2.07 NIO 76.2

65.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 ₡4,367

$8.02 NIO 295

18.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ₡4,231

$5.95 NIO 219

54.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ₡6,066

$8.00 NIO 295

65.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,158

$4.06 NIO 149

15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡715

$1.21 NIO 44.64

28.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 ₡1,535

$2.33 NIO 85.6

43.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,377

$2.10 NIO 77.1

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 ₡1,343

$3.48 NIO 128

-15.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,245

$1.98 NIO 72.9

36.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡466

$0.85 NIO 31.28

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₡1,111

$1.06 NIO 38.85

128.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.01 ₡2,297

$3.24 NIO 119

54.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,479

$10.13 NIO 373

61.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₡1,058

$1.38 NIO 50.8

67.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,305

$2.21 NIO 81.5

28.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡433

$0.16 NIO 5.90

487.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.31 ₡22.6K

$6.06 NIO 223

713.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡829

$1.07 NIO 39.31

69.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡917

$0.64 NIO 23.40

212.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 ₡3,410

$6.96 NIO 256

6.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡664

$1.34 NIO 49.41

8.21%

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

$36.3K ₡16.6M

$23.2K NIO 853.6K

56.41%

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

$34.8K ₡16.0M

$26.9K NIO 988.3K

29.51%

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

$88.1 ₡40.4K

$74.2 NIO 2,731

18.62%

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

$25.36 ₡11.6K

$17.50 NIO 644

44.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 ₡24.8K

$38.72 NIO 1,425

39.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₡26.5K

$34.63 NIO 1,274

66.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.04 ₡13.3K

$14.85 NIO 546

95.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ₡4,151

$7.95 NIO 292

13.84%

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

$550 ₡252.1K

$108 NIO 3,973

409.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ₡4.7M

$8,151 NIO 299.9K

25.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡32.8K

$65.6 NIO 2,414

8.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 ₡24.7K

$50.5 NIO 1,858

6.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡55.3K

$103 NIO 3,806

16.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₡46.4K

$95.7 NIO 3,520

5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡372.7K

$356 NIO 13.1K

128.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₡253.9K

$271 NIO 9,985

103.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 ₡684.6K

$607 NIO 22.3K

145.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 ₡485.1K

$493 NIO 18.1K

114.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,263 ₡1.0M

$1,230 NIO 45.3K

83.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,634 ₡749.6K

$692 NIO 25.5K

136.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 ₡489.3K

$298 NIO 11.0K

257.91%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Nicaragua: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Costa Rica vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

🇵🇱 Poland

🇬🇷 Greece

🇭🇷 Croatia

🇸🇰 Slovakia

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇱🇹 Lithuania

🇺🇾 Uruguay

🇵🇦 Panama