Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Managua

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,044 in Managua, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index

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Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masaya and in Managua

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 Managua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $823 per month in Masaya vs $1,044 in Managua, rent included.

Masaya $823
Managua $1,044

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Masaya vs $1,636 in Managua, rent included.

Masaya $1,283
Managua $1,636

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Masaya vs $2,228 in Managua, rent included.

Masaya $1,744
Managua $2,228

Masaya is about 21% cheaper than Managua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Masaya and Managua are more affordable than the global median – Masaya 40% lower, Managua 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 NIO 363

$10.16 NIO 372

-2.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.43 NIO 1,261

$34.46 NIO 1,262

-0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 NIO 283

$7.59 NIO 278

1.84%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.0

$2.54 NIO 92.9

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

$0.91 NIO 33.22

$0.87 NIO 31.85

4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.84

$0.73 NIO 26.57

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$1.48 NIO 54.0

3.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.6

$2.24 NIO 82.0

1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.66

$1.27 NIO 46.47

-3.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 NIO 87.8

$2.30 NIO 84.4

4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 65.8

$1.83 NIO 67.0

-1.64%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.3

$2.43 NIO 89.1

-2.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 NIO 419

$11.41 NIO 418

0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 NIO 233

$6.52 NIO 239

-2.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NIO 281

$8.00 NIO 293

-4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NIO 145

$4.11 NIO 151

-3.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 NIO 21.03

$0.63 NIO 22.98

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$2.42 NIO 88.8

3.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 NIO 143

$3.97 NIO 146

-1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$2.25 NIO 82.4

-0.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.98

$1.09 NIO 40.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.67

$1.05 NIO 38.43

0.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$2.74 NIO 100

2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 NIO 544

$14.82 NIO 543

0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$1.49 NIO 54.5

-2.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.8

$2.19 NIO 80.3

-0.46%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 NIO 58.2

$1.61 NIO 59.1

-1.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 NIO 251

$6.90 NIO 253

-0.72%

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

$23.2K NIO 849.9K

-2.10%

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

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

$26.5K NIO 971.8K

-0.53%

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

$154 NIO 5,654

$154 NIO 5,639

0.26%

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

$19.83 NIO 726

$19.66 NIO 720

0.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.97 NIO 1,171

$33.00 NIO 1,209

-3.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.30 NIO 1,293

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NIO 555

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 NIO 332

$9.07 NIO 332

-0.11%

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

$240 NIO 8,800

$232 NIO 8,489

3.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$5,944 NIO 217.7K

0.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,184

$59.7 NIO 2,188

-0.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 NIO 2,369

$64.5 NIO 2,363

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$122 NIO 4,479

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,379

$143 NIO 5,246

2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 NIO 9,363

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 NIO 6,504

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 NIO 16.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 NIO 13.9K

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

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 Managua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masaya

$260 31.6%

Managua

$262 25.1% 1% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Managua

$207 19.8% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$177 21.6%

Managua

$175 16.8% 1.1% $2

Eating Out

Masaya

$152 18.5%

Managua

$153 14.6% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Managua

$53 5.1% 195% $35

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2%

Managua

$16 1.6% 69.9% $6.7

Accommodation & Living

Masaya

- * 0%

Managua

$178 17%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya versus $34 in Managua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $262 – making Masaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇳🇮 Managua

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

Same time as Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

1,039,290 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masaya Managua 28 km

From you

Masaya
Managua

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 Managua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $823 in Masaya, $1,044 in Managua – Masaya comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,234 per month in Masaya and $1,566 in Managua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $823 in Masaya and $1,044 in Managua. That makes Masaya about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Masaya and $232 in Managua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Managua at $1,044. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Managua it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Managua has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,044 in Managua. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.