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

🙂 Solo nomad: Managua is 6.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 26.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Managua is 11.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 30.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.86 NIO 179
$11.85 MX$209
-58.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.04 NIO 1,288
$42.16 MX$744
-16.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.05 NIO 259
$10.75 MX$190
-34.42%
Cappuccino
$2.44 NIO 89.8
$3.47 MX$61.3
-29.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 NIO 30.65
$1.45 MX$25.65
-42.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 NIO 27.06
$0.90 MX$15.93
-17.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.29 NIO 47.25
$3.05 MX$53.9
-57.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 NIO 72.2
$4.42 MX$77.9
-55.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 NIO 46.55
$1.37 MX$24.17
-7.30%
White Bread (500g)
$2.47 NIO 91.0
$1.87 MX$33.05
32.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 NIO 66.1
$1.54 MX$27.25
16.88%
Eggs
$2.26 NIO 83.3
$2.50 MX$44.18
-9.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.07 NIO 407
$8.61 MX$152
28.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 NIO 247
$8.63 MX$152
-22.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.92 NIO 291
$11.02 MX$195
-28.13%
Apples (1kg)
$3.88 NIO 143
$2.75 MX$48.53
41.09%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 NIO 33.54
$1.43 MX$25.21
-36.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 NIO 65.1
$1.87 MX$33.05
-5.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 NIO 84.4
$2.17 MX$38.26
5.53%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 NIO 147
$1.88 MX$33.23
113.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NIO 82.3
$2.25 MX$39.65
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 NIO 39.02
$1.07 MX$18.85
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 NIO 36.75
$1.07 MX$18.95
-6.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.69 NIO 98.9
$4.15 MX$73.3
-35.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.70 NIO 540
$10.34 MX$182
42.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 NIO 53.0
$1.68 MX$29.64
-14.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 NIO 79.7
$2.48 MX$43.84
-12.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.15 NIO 5.61
$0.55 MX$9.80
-72.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.17 NIO 227
$26.53 MX$468
-76.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 NIO 55.6
$3.22 MX$56.8
-53.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 NIO 21.27
$2.48 MX$43.80
-76.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.65 NIO 245
$3.11 MX$54.9
113.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 NIO 49.89
$1.26 MX$22.16
7.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.0K NIO 846.1K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-24.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K NIO 962.0K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
8.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.6 NIO 3,626
$82.5 MX$1,456
19.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.02 NIO 626
$22.29 MX$393
-23.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.90 NIO 1,394
$30.02 MX$530
26.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.08 NIO 1,327
$51.4 MX$908
-29.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.26 NIO 561
$18.29 MX$323
-16.57%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 NIO 299
$4.98 MX$88.0
63.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$125 NIO 4,612
$200 MX$3,530
-37.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,015 NIO 221.2K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
13.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.0 NIO 2,833
$35.71 MX$630
115.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$71.3 NIO 2,622
$39.56 MX$698
80.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 NIO 4,965
$80.6 MX$1,422
67.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 NIO 3,930
$88.3 MX$1,559
21.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$258 NIO 9,493
$969 MX$17.1K
-73.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$189 NIO 6,965
$482 MX$8,511
-60.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 NIO 16.4K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-72.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$457 NIO 16.8K
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-61.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,220 NIO 44.8K
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-69.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$645 NIO 23.7K
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-90.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$356 NIO 13.1K
$756 MX$13.4K
-52.95%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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