Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Granada, Nicaragua

Name: Granada
Address: Granada, NI

For one person, living is cheaper in Granada: $924 a month against $1,040 in Managua, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Managua despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Granada
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Granada Living Index

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Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,040

/mo nomad

Granada

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Managua and in Granada

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 Granada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,040 per month in Managua vs $924 in Granada, rent included.

Managua $1,040
Granada $924

A couple spends around $1,626 per month in Managua vs $1,288 in Granada, rent included.

Managua $1,626
Granada $1,288

A family of three spends $2,211 per month in Managua vs $1,652 in Granada, rent included.

Managua $2,211
Granada $1,652

Managua costs about 13% more than Granada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Managua and Granada are more affordable than the global median – Managua 23% lower, Granada 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 NIO 365

$4.30 NIO 157

131.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.70 NIO 1,271

$23.84 NIO 873

45.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 NIO 272

$6.81 NIO 250

9.10%

Cappuccino

$2.55 NIO 93.5

$1.76 NIO 64.6

44.89%

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

$0.90 NIO 33.08

$0.87 NIO 31.78

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 NIO 27.10

$0.68 NIO 24.87

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 NIO 54.2

$1.33 NIO 48.60

11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NIO 84.6

$2.05 NIO 74.9

12.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 NIO 45.98

$1.21 NIO 44.33

4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 NIO 85.6

$1.54 NIO 56.5

51.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NIO 66.6

$0.54 NIO 19.74

237.04%

Eggs

$2.33 NIO 85.3

$1.18 NIO 43.28

97.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 NIO 431

$5.01 NIO 184

135.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.26 NIO 229

$4.94 NIO 181

26.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.97 NIO 292

$7.92 NIO 290

0.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NIO 151

$4.08 NIO 149

0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 NIO 21.43

$0.63 NIO 22.97

-6.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 NIO 64.6

$1.81 NIO 66.4

-2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 NIO 89.3

$0.98 NIO 36.07

148.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 NIO 141

$2.84 NIO 104

35.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 81.9

$1.02 NIO 37.46

119.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.95

$1.02 NIO 37.20

6.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 NIO 36.97

$1.05 NIO 38.62

-3.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 NIO 99.1

$2.76 NIO 101

-2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 NIO 541

$10.18 NIO 373

44.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NIO 54.0

$1.49 NIO 54.5

-1.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NIO 80.6

$1.77 NIO 64.8

24.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 NIO 4.78

$0.11 NIO 4.07

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 NIO 217

$3.92 NIO 144

51.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.6

$0.62 NIO 22.71

158.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 NIO 58.9

$1.58 NIO 58.0

1.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 NIO 244

$6.93 NIO 254

-3.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 NIO 48.07

$1.29 NIO 47.30

1.55%

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

$23.1K NIO 845.7K

$22.9K NIO 837.4K

0.99%

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

$26.1K NIO 955.5K

$26.3K NIO 964.4K

-0.93%

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

$149 NIO 5,446

$149 NIO 5,439

0.11%

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

$19.74 NIO 723

$19.89 NIO 728

-0.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.89 NIO 1,204

$32.03 NIO 1,173

2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.51 NIO 1,264

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.93 NIO 547

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 NIO 338

$8.95 NIO 328

3.24%

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

$239 NIO 8,739

$235 NIO 8,599

1.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NIO 438.2K

$6,063 NIO 222.1K

97.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 NIO 2,172

$14.82 NIO 543

300.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.6 NIO 2,366

$30.25 NIO 1,108

113.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$34.31 NIO 1,256

258.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,366

$35.30 NIO 1,293

315.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 NIO 9,363

$421 NIO 15.4K

-39.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 NIO 6,646

$355 NIO 13.0K

-48.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 NIO 16.3K

$791 NIO 29.0K

-43.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 NIO 13.6K

$517 NIO 18.9K

-27.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,172 NIO 42.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$672 NIO 24.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$428 NIO 15.7K

$134 NIO 4,892

220.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

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

Last update for Managua: November 1, 2026

Last update for Granada: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Managua

$260 25%

Granada

$193 20.9% 25.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Managua

$201 19.4%

Granada

$200 21.7% 0.4% $0.9

Accommodation & Living

Managua

$181 17.4%

Granada

$355 38.4% 95.6% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Managua

$177 17%

Granada

$52 5.6% 70.9% $125

Eating Out

Managua

$151 14.5%

Granada

$93 10.1% 38.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Managua

$53 5.1%

Granada

$18 * 1.9% 66.2% $35

Getting Around

Managua

$16 1.6%

Granada

$13 1.4% 19.8% $3.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $256 in Managua versus $421 in Granada. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Managua are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Managua versus $24 in Granada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $193 – making Granada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Managua

🇳🇮 Granada

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

Same time as Managua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,039,290 Capital

128,937

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.44 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Managua Granada 43 km

From you

Managua
Granada

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 Granada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,040 in Managua, $924 in Granada – Granada comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,560 per month in Managua and $1,385 in Granada. 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 $421 in Granada.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Granada. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $239 per month in Managua and $235 in Granada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,040 in Managua and $924 in Granada, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Granada has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $924 in Granada to $1,040 in Managua. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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