Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living costs are similar in Managua and in San Juan del Sur: $1,044 and $1,054 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,044

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Managua and in San Juan del Sur

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 San Juan del Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,044 per month in Managua vs $1,054 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Managua $1,044
San Juan del Sur $1,054

A couple spends around $1,636 per month in Managua vs $1,667 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Managua $1,636
San Juan del Sur $1,667

A family of three spends $2,228 per month in Managua vs $2,280 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Managua $2,228
San Juan del Sur $2,280

Managua and San Juan del Sur have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Managua and San Juan del Sur are more affordable than the global median – Managua 23% lower, San Juan del Sur 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 NIO 372

$4.27 NIO 156

137.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.46 NIO 1,262

$33.86 NIO 1,240

1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 NIO 278

$5.77 NIO 211

31.54%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 92.9

$2.65 NIO 96.9

-4.15%

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

$0.87 NIO 31.85

$0.85 NIO 31.03

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.57

$0.67 NIO 24.57

8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 NIO 54.0

$1.53 NIO 56.2

-3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$2.22 NIO 81.2

0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 NIO 46.47

$1.19 NIO 43.49

6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 NIO 84.4

$1.54 NIO 56.5

49.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NIO 67.0

$1.18 NIO 43.12

55.08%

Eggs

$2.43 NIO 89.1

$2.38 NIO 87.2

2.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 NIO 418

$7.72 NIO 283

47.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 NIO 239

$6.51 NIO 239

0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.00 NIO 293

$7.73 NIO 283

3.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NIO 151

$4.06 NIO 149

1.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 NIO 22.98

$0.62 NIO 22.89

1.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.81 NIO 66.4

1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 NIO 88.8

$2.37 NIO 86.9

2.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 NIO 146

$3.23 NIO 118

22.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 NIO 82.4

$2.21 NIO 80.9

1.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 40.02

$1.08 NIO 39.69

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.43

$1.05 NIO 38.61

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 NIO 100

$2.70 NIO 99.0

1.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 NIO 543

$9.91 NIO 363

49.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NIO 54.5

$1.41 NIO 51.6

5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 NIO 80.3

$2.26 NIO 82.7

-3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 NIO 5.19

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.98 NIO 219

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$1.59 NIO 58.1

0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 NIO 59.1

$1.58 NIO 57.9

1.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 NIO 253

$6.88 NIO 252

0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 NIO 50.1

$1.29 NIO 47.27

6.20%

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

$23.2K NIO 849.9K

$22.5K NIO 824.8K

3.04%

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

$26.5K NIO 971.8K

$26.5K NIO 970.5K

0.13%

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

$154 NIO 5,639

$60.5 NIO 2,216

154.40%

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

$19.66 NIO 720

$10.52 NIO 385

86.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.00 NIO 1,209

$32.21 NIO 1,180

2.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.30 NIO 1,293

$30.54 NIO 1,118

15.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NIO 555

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 NIO 332

$9.02 NIO 331

0.55%

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

$232 NIO 8,489

$235 NIO 8,624

-1.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,944 NIO 217.7K

$6,153 NIO 225.4K

-3.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,188

$60.0 NIO 2,197

-0.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 NIO 2,363

$64.1 NIO 2,348

0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 NIO 4,479

$121 NIO 4,419

1.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NIO 5,246

$143 NIO 5,244

0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 NIO 9,363

$421 NIO 15.4K

-39.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 NIO 6,504

$391 NIO 14.3K

-54.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 NIO 16.2K

$943 NIO 34.5K

-53.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 NIO 13.9K

$773 NIO 28.3K

-50.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 NIO 43.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 NIO 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 NIO 15.4K

$355 NIO 13.0K

18.38%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Managua

$262 25.1%

San Juan del Sur

$226 21.4% 13.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Managua

$207 19.8%

San Juan del Sur

$103 9.8% 50% $103

Accommodation & Living

Managua

$178 17%

San Juan del Sur

$391 37.1% 120% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Managua

$175 16.8%

San Juan del Sur

$175 16.6% 0.5% $0.8

Eating Out

Managua

$153 14.6%

San Juan del Sur

$101 9.6% 33.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Managua

$53 5.1%

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6% 9.1% $4.8

Getting Around

Managua

$16 1.6%

San Juan del Sur

$9.5 * 0.9% 41.4% $6.7

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 San Juan del Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Managua. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Managua versus $34 in San Juan del Sur. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Managua vs $226 in San Juan del Sur – so San Juan del Sur wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Managua

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

Same time as Managua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,039,290 Capital

14,741

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Managua San Juan del Sur 110 km

From you

Managua
San Juan del Sur

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 San Juan del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,566 per month in Managua and $1,581 in San Juan del Sur. 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 San Juan del Sur.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in San Juan del Sur – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $232 per month in Managua and $235 in San Juan del Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,044 in Managua and $1,054 in San Juan del Sur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan del Sur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,044 in Managua to $1,054 in San Juan del Sur. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.