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

🙂 Solo nomad: Managua is 9.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.6% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Managua is 2.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.98 NIO 183
$11.61 MX$200
-57.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.77 NIO 1,279
$42.75 MX$738
-18.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.85 NIO 252
$10.60 MX$183
-35.38%
Cappuccino
$2.42 NIO 88.9
$3.59 MX$62.0
-32.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 NIO 29.74
$1.45 MX$25.08
-44.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 NIO 25.58
$0.90 MX$15.50
-22.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.34 NIO 49.33
$3.03 MX$52.4
-55.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 NIO 72.8
$4.56 MX$78.8
-56.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 NIO 46.83
$1.45 MX$25.07
-12.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.45 NIO 90.1
$1.83 MX$31.55
33.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 NIO 66.1
$1.61 MX$27.77
11.80%
Eggs
$2.32 NIO 85.2
$2.54 MX$43.82
-8.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 NIO 414
$8.54 MX$148
31.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.44 NIO 237
$8.47 MX$146
-23.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.77 NIO 286
$10.86 MX$188
-28.45%
Apples (1kg)
$3.83 NIO 141
$2.73 MX$47.13
40.29%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 NIO 33.56
$1.49 MX$25.77
-38.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 NIO 67.4
$1.94 MX$33.55
-5.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 NIO 80.6
$2.16 MX$37.38
1.39%
Potato (1kg)
$3.99 NIO 147
$1.85 MX$31.88
115.68%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 NIO 79.8
$2.19 MX$37.80
-0.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 NIO 39.02
$1.07 MX$18.52
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 NIO 36.76
$1.08 MX$18.71
-7.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.62 NIO 96.5
$4.06 MX$70.1
-35.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.57 NIO 536
$10.46 MX$181
39.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 NIO 51.9
$1.65 MX$28.56
-14.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 NIO 83.5
$2.55 MX$44.01
-10.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 NIO 5.77
$0.56 MX$9.60
-71.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.90 NIO 217
$26.20 MX$453
-77.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 NIO 55.9
$3.14 MX$54.2
-51.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 NIO 21.15
$2.37 MX$40.96
-75.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.66 NIO 245
$3.24 MX$56.0
105.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 NIO 48.44
$1.31 MX$22.70
0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K NIO 841.7K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-25.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K NIO 953.7K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
8.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.7 NIO 3,630
$83.1 MX$1,436
18.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.80 NIO 618
$22.15 MX$383
-24.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.75 NIO 1,389
$29.37 MX$507
28.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.12 NIO 1,292
$51.2 MX$884
-31.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.12 NIO 556
$18.69 MX$323
-19.10%
Cinema Ticket
$7.82 NIO 288
$4.89 MX$84.4
59.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$125 NIO 4,581
$199 MX$3,431
-37.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,058 NIO 222.9K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
16.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.3 NIO 2,880
$35.93 MX$621
117.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$71.9 NIO 2,646
$39.39 MX$680
82.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$131 NIO 4,830
$80.3 MX$1,387
63.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 NIO 3,903
$87.6 MX$1,512
21.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$260 NIO 9,566
$963 MX$16.6K
-73.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$193 NIO 7,116
$482 MX$8,326
-59.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$435 NIO 16.0K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-73.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 NIO 16.6K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-62.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,214 NIO 44.7K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-69.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$639 NIO 23.5K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-90.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Managua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$359 NIO 13.2K
$726 MX$12.5K
-50.58%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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