Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durres and Managua

For one person, living is cheaper in Managua: $1,042 a month against $1,138 in Durres, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durres outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Durres
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Durres Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index

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Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,138

/mo nomad

Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durres and in Managua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Durres versus $1,042 in Managua.

Durres $1,138
Managua $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,733 in Durres versus $1,629 in Managua.

Durres $1,733
Managua $1,629

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,329 in Durres versus $2,215 in Managua.

Durres $2,329
Managua $2,215

Living in Durres is roughly 9% more expensive than in Managua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Durres 16% lower, Managua 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.51 ALL 846

$9.82 NIO 360

7.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.27 ALL 3,001

$35.64 NIO 1,305

4.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 ALL 820

$7.51 NIO 275

35.55%

Cappuccino

$1.98 ALL 160

$2.58 NIO 94.4

-23.26%

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

$2.04 ALL 164

$0.91 NIO 33.38

124.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ALL 84.2

$0.74 NIO 27.07

41.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 ALL 240

$1.47 NIO 54.0

102.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 ALL 340

$2.21 NIO 81.1

91.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ALL 170

$1.22 NIO 44.57

72.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ALL 86.2

$2.39 NIO 87.5

-55.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 ALL 190

$1.88 NIO 68.7

26.06%

Eggs

$3.69 ALL 297

$2.43 NIO 88.9

51.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 ALL 1,030

$11.40 NIO 418

12.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 ALL 615

$6.41 NIO 235

19.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.57 ALL 1,173

$7.74 NIO 283

88.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 ALL 93.0

$4.08 NIO 149

-71.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ALL 192

$0.59 NIO 21.50

303.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ALL 124

$1.84 NIO 67.4

-16.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ALL 106

$2.47 NIO 90.5

-46.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ALL 74.0

$3.99 NIO 146

-76.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 76.1

$2.17 NIO 79.5

-56.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ALL 101

$1.04 NIO 38.08

20.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ALL 56.7

$1.01 NIO 36.86

-30.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 ALL 341

$2.68 NIO 98.0

58.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ALL 887

$14.72 NIO 539

-25.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 ALL 121

$1.43 NIO 52.4

4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.27 NIO 83.1

-9.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ALL 38.53

$0.16 NIO 5.69

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.19 ALL 1,545

$5.99 NIO 220

220.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ALL 287

$1.66 NIO 60.7

115.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 ALL 199

$1.61 NIO 58.9

53.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 NIO 252

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 ALL 176

$1.35 NIO 49.58

61.48%

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

$16.1K ALL 1.3M

$23.2K NIO 850.6K

-30.82%

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

$26.2K NIO 960.2K

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

$93.6 ALL 7,534

$150 NIO 5,499

-37.68%

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

$16.62 ALL 1,338

$19.87 NIO 728

-16.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.68 ALL 1,343

$32.01 NIO 1,172

-47.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.50 ALL 3,262

$35.39 NIO 1,296

14.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.3 ALL 4,932

$15.16 NIO 555

304.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ALL 602

$9.06 NIO 332

-17.44%

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

$183 ALL 14.7K

$235 NIO 8,616

-22.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,590 ALL 369.6K

$6,163 NIO 225.7K

-25.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.06 ALL 3,146

$59.1 NIO 2,163

-33.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 ALL 3,303

$65.8 NIO 2,408

-37.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 ALL 7,195

$123 NIO 4,494

-27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 ALL 12.8K

$147 NIO 5,394

8.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 ALL 35.8K

$257 NIO 9,407

73.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ALL 27.0K

$182 NIO 6,678

84.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ALL 55.6K

$435 NIO 15.9K

58.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ALL 37.8K

$370 NIO 13.5K

26.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 ALL 142.9K

$1,188 NIO 43.5K

49.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,154 ALL 92.9K

$681 NIO 24.9K

69.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ALL 75.7K

$430 NIO 15.7K

118.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.92

-55.96%

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

Last update for Durres: October 12, 2026

Last update for Managua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durres

$336 29.5%

Managua

$182 17.5% 45.7% $153

Groceries & Markets

Durres

$261 22.9%

Managua

$260 25% 0.3% $0.8

Eating Out

Durres

$174 15.3%

Managua

$150 14.4% 13.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Durres

$148 13%

Managua

$178 17.1% 20.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durres

$127 11.2%

Managua

$202 19.4% 59.3% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Durres

$55 4.9%

Managua

$54 5.1% 3.5% $2

Getting Around

Durres

$37 3.3%

Managua

$16 1.6% 55.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $444 in Durres and $257 in Managua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 119% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Durres vs $36.00 in Managua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $260 per month, with Managua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Durres

🇳🇮 Managua

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

07:48 7:48 AM

8 h behind Durres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

175,110

1,039,290 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Durres Managua 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Durres
Managua

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

Durres vs Managua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Managua wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Durres. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Managua the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 119% higher in Durres, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $444 in Durres versus $257 in Managua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,138 per month in Durres versus $1,042 in Managua – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Managua runs roughly 220% less than in Durres. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,042 in Managua versus $1,138 in Durres, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Managua but tight or insufficient in Durres. The gap between the two cities makes Managua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Managua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Durres. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.