Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Diriamba

For one person, living costs are similar in Masaya and in Diriamba: $823 and $821 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Diriamba
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Diriamba Living Index

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Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Diriamba

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masaya and in Diriamba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Masaya and in Diriamba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Masaya versus $821 in Diriamba.

Masaya $823
Diriamba $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,283 in Masaya versus $1,285 in Diriamba.

Masaya $1,283
Diriamba $1,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,744 in Masaya versus $1,749 in Diriamba.

Masaya $1,744
Diriamba $1,749

Monthly costs are close between Masaya and Diriamba; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Masaya 40% lower, Diriamba 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 NIO 363

$9.82 NIO 360

1.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.43 NIO 1,261

$35.33 NIO 1,294

-2.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 NIO 283

$7.68 NIO 281

0.65%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.0

$2.67 NIO 97.8

-4.87%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.22

$0.90 NIO 32.92

1.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.84

$0.68 NIO 24.74

7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$1.54 NIO 56.2

-0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.6

$2.20 NIO 80.5

3.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.66

$1.23 NIO 44.88

-0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 NIO 87.8

$2.41 NIO 88.2

-0.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 65.8

$1.83 NIO 67.0

-1.64%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.3

$2.40 NIO 87.9

-0.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 NIO 419

$11.71 NIO 429

-2.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 NIO 233

$6.50 NIO 238

-2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NIO 281

$7.99 NIO 293

-3.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NIO 145

$4.02 NIO 147

-1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 NIO 21.03

$0.61 NIO 22.52

-6.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.79 NIO 65.4

2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$2.47 NIO 90.6

1.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 NIO 143

$3.86 NIO 141

1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$2.25 NIO 82.3

-0.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.98

$1.04 NIO 38.14

4.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.67

$1.05 NIO 38.39

0.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$2.69 NIO 98.4

4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 NIO 544

$14.68 NIO 538

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$1.48 NIO 54.1

-1.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.8

$2.19 NIO 80.3

-0.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$1.65 NIO 60.5

-3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 NIO 58.2

$1.65 NIO 60.3

-3.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 NIO 251

$6.91 NIO 253

-0.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 NIO 50.5

$1.37 NIO 50.1

0.73%

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

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

$23.1K NIO 847.5K

-1.82%

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

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

$26.6K NIO 972.7K

-0.62%

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

$154 NIO 5,654

$151 NIO 5,527

2.28%

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

$19.83 NIO 726

$19.39 NIO 710

2.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.97 NIO 1,171

$32.39 NIO 1,186

-1.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 NIO 332

$8.81 NIO 323

2.84%

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

$240 NIO 8,800

$236 NIO 8,649

1.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$5,952 NIO 218.0K

0.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,184

$59.2 NIO 2,166

0.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 NIO 2,369

$65.9 NIO 2,413

-1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$125 NIO 4,564

-1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,379

$143 NIO 5,226

2.92%

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 Masaya: October 24, 2026

Last update for Diriamba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masaya

$260 31.6%

Diriamba

$262 31.9% 0.9% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Diriamba

$203 24.7% 1.7% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$177 21.6%

Diriamba

$177 21.5% 0.5% $0.8

Eating Out

Masaya

$152 18.5%

Diriamba

$152 18.5% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Diriamba

$18 * 2.2% 2.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2%

Diriamba

$9.9 * 1.2% 3.7% $0.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $34 in Masaya vs $35 in Diriamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $262 per month, with Masaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇳🇮 Diriamba

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

Same time as Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

57,542

💱 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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Masaya Diriamba 20 km

From you

Masaya
Diriamba

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

Masaya vs Diriamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,234 in Masaya and $1,231 in Diriamba to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $240 in Masaya versus $236 in Diriamba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Masaya – a meal for two runs $34 versus $35 in Diriamba. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Diriamba is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.