Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Managua is 21.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Managua is 3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 31.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.98 NIO 182
$11.99 MX$227
-58.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.91 NIO 1,279
$42.47 MX$803
-17.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.16 NIO 262
$10.47 MX$198
-31.61%
Cappuccino
$2.38 NIO 87
$3.6 MX$68.2
-33.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 NIO 28.55
$1.44 MX$27.16
-45.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.7 NIO 25.6
$0.89 MX$16.79
-21.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.28 NIO 46.94
$3.09 MX$58.5
-58.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 NIO 71.6
$4.58 MX$86.6
-57.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 NIO 44.44
$1.38 MX$26.04
-12.32%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 NIO 90.2
$1.85 MX$34.9
32.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 NIO 66.6
$1.57 MX$29.68
15.92%
Eggs
$2.32 NIO 85.1
$2.55 MX$48.3
-9.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.05 NIO 405
$8.61 MX$163
28.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.64 NIO 243
$8.54 MX$161
-22.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.97 NIO 292
$10.98 MX$208
-27.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 NIO 139
$2.72 MX$51.4
40.07%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 NIO 33.21
$1.51 MX$28.57
-39.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 NIO 66.7
$1.88 MX$35.63
-3.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 NIO 83.3
$2.19 MX$41.42
3.65%
Potato (1kg)
$3.84 NIO 141
$1.87 MX$35.3
105.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NIO 82.9
$2.19 MX$41.37
3.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 NIO 37.45
$1.07 MX$20.23
-4.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 NIO 38.24
$1.09 MX$20.64
-4.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.62 NIO 95.9
$3.96 MX$74.9
-33.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.48 NIO 530
$8.86 MX$167
63.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 NIO 51.9
$1.72 MX$32.53
-17.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 NIO 82.4
$2.61 MX$49.37
-13.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 NIO 5.81
$0.52 MX$9.74
-69.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.89 NIO 216
$26.59 MX$503
-77.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 NIO 54.5
$3.24 MX$61.2
-54.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 NIO 19.57
$2.38 MX$44.94
-77.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.83 NIO 250
$3.11 MX$58.7
119.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 NIO 50.1
$1.31 MX$24.85
4.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K NIO 832K
$30.3K MX$573K
-25.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26K NIO 951.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
8.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.1 NIO 3,628
$84.2 MX$1,592
17.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.31 NIO 634
$22.14 MX$419
-21.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.84 NIO 1,386
$30.14 MX$570
25.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.4 NIO 1,333
$52 MX$983
-29.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.74 NIO 540
$18.72 MX$354
-21.26%
Cinema Ticket
$8.2 NIO 300
$5.07 MX$95.9
61.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$125 NIO 4,568
$200 MX$3,787
-37.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,884 NIO 215.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
10.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.4 NIO 2,834
$35.74 MX$676
116.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$71.5 NIO 2,620
$39.8 MX$753
79.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 NIO 4,827
$79 MX$1,493
66.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 NIO 3,899
$88.4 MX$1,671
20.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$259 NIO 9,488
$965 MX$18.3K
-73.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$187 NIO 6,849
$474 MX$8,968
-60.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$441 NIO 16.2K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-73.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$446 NIO 16.3K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-62.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,185 NIO 43.4K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-61.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$439 NIO 16.1K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-94.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$354 NIO 13K
$792 MX$15K
-55.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.25
11.42
-10.25%

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

Last update for Managua: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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