Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Nicaragua Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Nicaragua

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico is 18.9% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 30.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico is 23.1% more expensive than Nicaragua without rent, and 36.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.49 MX$188
$4.24 NIO 156
147.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.52 MX$743
$30.07 NIO 1,108
38.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.98 MX$143
$6.44 NIO 237
23.91%
Cappuccino
$3.42 MX$61.2
$2.12 NIO 78.3
61.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 MX$23.54
$0.78 NIO 28.67
69.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 MX$17.83
$0.68 NIO 25.05
47.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.40 MX$42.91
$1.38 NIO 50.7
73.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 MX$76.2
$2.03 NIO 74.7
109.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$27.05
$1.21 NIO 44.62
24.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.57 MX$45.95
$2.00 NIO 73.8
28.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 MX$31.19
$1.59 NIO 58.5
9.43%
Eggs
$2.48 MX$44.41
$2.05 NIO 75.4
20.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 MX$155
$8.19 NIO 302
5.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.93 MX$142
$6.18 NIO 228
28.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.10 MX$199
$7.72 NIO 284
43.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 MX$50.4
$4.15 NIO 153
-32.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$26.68
$1.21 NIO 44.54
23.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 MX$34.32
$2.31 NIO 85.0
-16.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$31.91
$2.04 NIO 75.0
-12.75%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$36.39
$3.40 NIO 125
-40.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 MX$36.42
$1.96 NIO 72.2
3.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 MX$22.66
$0.87 NIO 31.96
45.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 MX$17.92
$1.02 NIO 37.44
-1.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 MX$77.4
$3.11 NIO 114
38.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.55 MX$207
$9.97 NIO 367
15.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$29.46
$1.42 NIO 52.3
16.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 MX$53.8
$2.21 NIO 81.3
35.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.65 MX$11.55
$0.16 NIO 5.83
306.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.37 MX$472
$5.83 NIO 215
352.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 MX$47.08
$1.08 NIO 39.94
143.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 MX$34.63
$0.60 NIO 21.92
221.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.51 MX$188
$6.64 NIO 244
58.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 MX$23.75
$1.30 NIO 47.80
2.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.2K MX$362.4K
$23.4K NIO 860.6K
-13.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K MX$404.1K
$27.2K NIO 1.0M
-16.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 MX$1,114
$76.1 NIO 2,804
-18.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.42 MX$419
$17.33 NIO 638
35.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.93 MX$500
$38.89 NIO 1,432
-28.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.84 MX$624
$34.23 NIO 1,261
1.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.07 MX$324
$14.79 NIO 545
22.18%
Cinema Ticket
$4.87 MX$87.1
$8.22 NIO 303
-40.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$253 MX$4,533
$110 NIO 4,045
130.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,689 MX$101.8K
$8,147 NIO 300.1K
-30.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.6 MX$924
$65.7 NIO 2,419
-21.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.34 MX$740
$48.98 NIO 1,804
-15.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 MX$1,659
$101 NIO 3,706
-7.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.5 MX$1,583
$93.4 NIO 3,439
-5.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$634 MX$11.3K
$358 NIO 13.2K
76.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 MX$8,129
$277 NIO 10.2K
63.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 MX$22.4K
$599 NIO 22.1K
108.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$877 MX$15.7K
$488 NIO 18.0K
79.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,736 MX$49.0K
$1,248 NIO 46.0K
119.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,630 MX$29.2K
$688 NIO 25.3K
136.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico
Nicaragua
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$830 MX$14.8K
$298 NIO 11.0K
177.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
10.25
11.71%

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

Last update for Mexico: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nicaragua: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar countries