Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,050 in Managua, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. The total is higher in Managua despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,050

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Managua and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,050 in Managua versus $996 in Lima.

Managua $1,050
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,629 in Managua versus $1,594 in Lima.

Managua $1,629
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,207 in Managua versus $2,191 in Lima.

Managua $2,207
Lima $2,191

Living in Managua is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Managua 22% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.83 NIO 360

$4.42 PEN 15.21

122.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.30 NIO 1,293

$35.04 PEN 121

0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 NIO 273

$6.84 PEN 23.52

9.06%

Cappuccino

$2.57 NIO 94.0

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-21.41%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.42

$1.10 PEN 3.80

-17.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 NIO 27.28

$0.65 PEN 2.23

13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 54.0

$2.58 PEN 8.88

-43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 80.0

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 NIO 46.01

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-20.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 NIO 89.4

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-5.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NIO 69.2

$1.36 PEN 4.67

38.97%

Eggs

$2.32 NIO 84.8

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-21.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.46 NIO 420

$9.10 PEN 31.30

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 NIO 226

$5.81 PEN 19.98

6.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 NIO 286

$9.83 PEN 33.80

-20.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 NIO 143

$2.01 PEN 6.92

94.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 NIO 21.38

$1.08 PEN 3.70

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 NIO 64.4

$1.37 PEN 4.71

28.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 NIO 88.5

$1.48 PEN 5.08

63.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 NIO 141

$0.96 PEN 3.32

301.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 NIO 80.1

$0.85 PEN 2.93

157.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 NIO 40.26

$0.88 PEN 3.03

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NIO 37.22

$0.87 PEN 2.98

17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 102

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-52.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.39 NIO 527

$8.81 PEN 30.31

63.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 52.0

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NIO 80.7

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 NIO 4.42

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.88 NIO 216

$26.74 PEN 92.0

-78.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 NIO 60.2

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-56.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.2

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-19.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 NIO 243

$7.14 PEN 24.57

-7.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 NIO 50.5

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-16.36%

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

$22.9K NIO 838.8K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

3.28%

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

$25.9K NIO 947.8K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

0.82%

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

$152 NIO 5,561

$73.0 PEN 251

107.89%

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

$19.55 NIO 716

$16.26 PEN 55.9

20.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.50 NIO 1,190

$27.60 PEN 94.9

17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 NIO 1,273

$33.07 PEN 114

5.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.13 NIO 554

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-22.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 NIO 333

$7.39 PEN 25.41

23.27%

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

$231 NIO 8,466

$182 PEN 626

27.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,110 NIO 223.8K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-54.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 NIO 2,161

$52.6 PEN 181

12.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.8 NIO 2,373

$34.23 PEN 118

89.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NIO 4,415

$83.8 PEN 288

43.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 NIO 5,406

$79.0 PEN 272

86.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 NIO 9,231

$723 PEN 2,488

-65.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 NIO 6,656

$340 PEN 1,170

-46.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 NIO 16.5K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

-61.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 NIO 14.0K

$635 PEN 2,183

-39.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,199 NIO 43.9K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

-51.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$686 NIO 25.1K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

-50.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$417 NIO 15.3K

$653 PEN 2,245

-36.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

8.94

33.33%

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

Last update for Managua: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Managua

$257 24.8%

Lima

$226 22.4% 12.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Managua

$204 19.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 42.7% $87

Accommodation & Living

Managua

$182 17.5%

Lima

$340 33.6% 87.2% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Managua

$176 17%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36.3% $64

Eating Out

Managua

$150 14.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 17.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Managua

$53 5.1%

Lima

$48 4.7% 9.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Managua

$16 1.6%

Lima

$43 4.3% 168% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $252 in Managua and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Managua vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Managua

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

1 h ahead of Managua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,039,290 Capital

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.08 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Managua Lima 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Managua
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Managua and Lima differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,050 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $252 in Managua versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $231 in Managua versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Managua. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,050 in Managua, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Managua. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Managua. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.