Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Ciudad Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Managua: $1,044 a month against $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ciudad Juarez outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
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Ciudad Juarez Living Index

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Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,044

/mo nomad

Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Managua and in Ciudad Juarez

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

A single person spends $1,044 per month in Managua vs $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Managua $1,044
Ciudad Juarez $1,140

A couple spends around $1,636 per month in Managua vs $1,839 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Managua $1,636
Ciudad Juarez $1,839

A family of three spends $2,228 per month in Managua vs $2,538 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Managua $2,228
Ciudad Juarez $2,538

Managua is about 8% cheaper than Ciudad Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Managua and Ciudad Juarez are more affordable than the global median – Managua 23% lower, Ciudad Juarez 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 NIO 372

$9.24 MX$174

9.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.46 NIO 1,262

$32.44 MX$610

6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 NIO 278

$10.16 MX$191

-25.30%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 92.9

$2.82 MX$52.9

-9.93%

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

$0.87 NIO 31.85

$1.07 MX$20.07

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.57

$0.70 MX$13.08

4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 NIO 54.0

$2.03 MX$38.21

-27.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$4.19 MX$78.7

-46.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 NIO 46.47

$1.74 MX$32.64

-27.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 NIO 84.4

$2.31 MX$43.35

-0.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NIO 67.0

$1.58 MX$29.68

15.82%

Eggs

$2.43 NIO 89.1

$2.26 MX$42.56

7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 NIO 418

$12.64 MX$237

-9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 NIO 239

$6.68 MX$125

-2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.00 NIO 293

$11.92 MX$224

-32.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NIO 151

$2.63 MX$49.35

56.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 NIO 22.98

$2.07 MX$38.84

-69.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.79 MX$33.62

2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 NIO 88.8

$2.06 MX$38.69

17.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 NIO 146

$1.63 MX$30.67

143.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 NIO 82.4

$2.19 MX$41.08

2.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 40.02

$1.56 MX$29.27

-30.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.43

$1.06 MX$19.97

-0.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 NIO 100

$4.50 MX$84.7

-39.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 NIO 543

$10.59 MX$199

39.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NIO 54.5

$1.24 MX$23.29

20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 NIO 80.3

$3.22 MX$60.5

-31.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 NIO 5.19

$0.63 MX$11.79

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.98 NIO 219

$27.40 MX$515

-78.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$4.14 MX$77.7

-61.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 NIO 59.1

$1.11 MX$20.83

45.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 NIO 253

$16.00 MX$301

-56.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 NIO 50.1

$1.33 MX$25.01

3.01%

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

$23.2K NIO 849.9K

$20.8K MX$391.8K

11.32%

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

$26.5K NIO 971.8K

$24.2K MX$454.9K

9.61%

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

$154 NIO 5,639

$82.7 MX$1,554

86.23%

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

$19.66 NIO 720

$22.53 MX$423

-12.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 NIO 1,209

$28.53 MX$536

15.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.30 NIO 1,293

$32.02 MX$602

10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NIO 555

$14.54 MX$273

4.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 NIO 332

$4.35 MX$81.8

108.51%

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

$232 NIO 8,489

$218 MX$4,096

6.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,944 NIO 217.7K

$2,777 MX$52.2K

114.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,188

$58.1 MX$1,092

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 NIO 2,363

$32.58 MX$612

98.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 NIO 4,479

$72.9 MX$1,369

67.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NIO 5,246

$81.1 MX$1,524

76.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 NIO 9,363

$607 MX$11.4K

-57.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 NIO 6,504

$384 MX$7,218

-53.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 NIO 16.2K

$1,010 MX$19.0K

-56.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 NIO 13.9K

$851 MX$16.0K

-55.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 NIO 43.3K

$955 MX$17.9K

23.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 NIO 25.0K

$686 MX$12.9K

-0.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 NIO 15.4K

$567 MX$10.7K

-25.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

11.32

5.30%

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

Last update for Managua: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Juarez: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Managua

$262 25.1%

Ciudad Juarez

$268 23.5% 2.2% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Managua

$207 19.8%

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.7% 35.3% $73

Accommodation & Living

Managua

$178 17%

Ciudad Juarez

$384 33.7% 116% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Managua

$175 16.8%

Ciudad Juarez

$110 9.7% 37.2% $65

Eating Out

Managua

$153 14.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$164 14.4% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Managua

$53 5.1%

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6% 23.8% $13

Getting Around

Managua

$16 1.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$40 3.5% 144% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $256 in Managua versus $607 in Ciudad Juarez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Ciudad Juarez. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Managua versus $32 in Ciudad Juarez. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Managua vs $268 in Ciudad Juarez – so Managua wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Managua

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

03:41 3:41 AM

1 h behind Managua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,039,290 Capital

1,501,551

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Managua Ciudad Juarez 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Managua
Ciudad Juarez

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

Managua vs Ciudad Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,044 in Managua, $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez – Managua comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,566 per month in Managua and $1,710 in Ciudad Juarez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Managua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $607 in Ciudad Juarez.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Managua and $32 in Ciudad Juarez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Managua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,044 in Managua and $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Managua. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ciudad Juarez makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.