Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Managua

For one person, living is cheaper in Managua: $1,042 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City 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 Mexico City and in Managua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,042 in Managua, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Managua $1,042

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $1,629 in Managua, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Managua $1,629

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $2,215 in Managua, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Managua $2,215

Mexico City costs about 50% more than Managua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Managua is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$9.82 NIO 360

9.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$35.64 NIO 1,305

40.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$7.51 NIO 275

47.80%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.58 NIO 94.4

42.64%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.91 NIO 33.38

81.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.74 NIO 27.07

75.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.47 NIO 54.0

125.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.21 NIO 81.1

150.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.22 NIO 44.57

45.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.39 NIO 87.5

27.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.88 NIO 68.7

6.91%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.43 NIO 88.9

13.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$11.40 NIO 418

4.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$6.41 NIO 235

45.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$7.74 NIO 283

94.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$4.08 NIO 149

-24.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$0.59 NIO 21.50

230.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.84 NIO 67.4

10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.47 NIO 90.5

-10.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$3.99 NIO 146

-49.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.17 NIO 79.5

-16.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.04 NIO 38.08

46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.01 NIO 36.86

26.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.68 NIO 98.0

96.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.72 NIO 539

9.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.43 NIO 52.4

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.27 NIO 83.1

87.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.16 NIO 5.69

93.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$5.99 NIO 220

231.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.66 NIO 60.7

20.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.61 NIO 58.9

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$6.88 NIO 252

-18.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.35 NIO 49.58

12.59%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$23.2K NIO 850.6K

-9.44%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$26.2K NIO 960.2K

-3.96%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$150 NIO 5,499

-58.38%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$19.87 NIO 728

44.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$32.01 NIO 1,172

7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$35.39 NIO 1,296

61.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$15.16 NIO 555

63.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$9.06 NIO 332

-26.38%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$235 NIO 8,616

83.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$6,163 NIO 225.7K

90.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$59.1 NIO 2,163

19.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$65.8 NIO 2,408

-21.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$123 NIO 4,494

-11.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$147 NIO 5,394

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$257 NIO 9,407

309.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$182 NIO 6,678

264.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$435 NIO 15.9K

439.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$370 NIO 13.5K

231.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,188 NIO 43.5K

199.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$681 NIO 24.9K

190.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$430 NIO 15.7K

126.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.92

-5.20%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Managua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Managua

$182 17.5% 72.6% $483

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Managua

$260 25% 19.4% $63

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Managua

$150 14.4% 25.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Managua

$178 17.1% 14.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Managua

$202 19.4% 60.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Managua

$54 5.1% 24% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Managua

$16 1.6% 36.7% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $257 in Managua. 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 127% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $36.00 in Managua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $260 – making Managua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇮 Managua

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,039,290 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Managua 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Managua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City, $1,042 in Managua – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,563 in Managua. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 231% less in Managua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Mexico City and $235 in Managua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Managua, where all-in costs run around $1,042, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Managua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,042 in Managua to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Managua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.