Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

🙂 Solo nomad: Nicaragua is 35.4% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 39.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Nicaragua is 36.6% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 42.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.13 NIO 152

$10.19 ₡5,052

-59.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.96 NIO 1,103

$60.5 ₡30.0K

-50.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.58 NIO 242

$10.17 ₡5,041

-35.30%

Cappuccino

$2.21 NIO 81.3

$3.90 ₡1,933

-43.33%

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

$0.77 NIO 28.37

$2.19 ₡1,086

-64.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.05

$1.65 ₡819

-58.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NIO 49.11

$2.95 ₡1,460

-54.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 NIO 75.4

$4.32 ₡2,142

-52.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 NIO 43.05

$2.03 ₡1,005

-42.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NIO 71.6

$3.18 ₡1,576

-38.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 NIO 60.5

$2.49 ₡1,234

-34.14%

Eggs

$2.03 NIO 74.7

$3.41 ₡1,688

-40.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 NIO 299

$9.25 ₡4,584

-12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 NIO 228

$9.42 ₡4,670

-34.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 NIO 285

$13.28 ₡6,583

-41.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 NIO 148

$4.51 ₡2,235

-11.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 NIO 42.99

$1.54 ₡763

-24.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 NIO 88.7

$3.37 ₡1,673

-28.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 NIO 75.5

$2.94 ₡1,458

-30.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 NIO 131

$2.97 ₡1,475

19.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 NIO 72.9

$2.83 ₡1,403

-30.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 NIO 31.68

$1.01 ₡502

-14.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$2.54 ₡1,257

-58.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 NIO 114

$5.03 ₡2,494

-38.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 NIO 369

$15.31 ₡7,589

-34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 NIO 50.2

$2.31 ₡1,145

-41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NIO 77.1

$2.72 ₡1,347

-23.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 NIO 5.27

$0.96 ₡475

-85.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.88 NIO 216

$48.97 ₡24.3K

-87.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 NIO 39.62

$1.80 ₡893

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 NIO 22.18

$2.01 ₡995

-70.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 NIO 253

$7.51 ₡3,723

-8.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 NIO 48.20

$1.52 ₡752

-13.82%

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

$23.3K NIO 857.5K

$36.6K ₡18.2M

-36.44%

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

$26.7K NIO 983.1K

$36.0K ₡17.9M

-25.87%

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

$76.7 NIO 2,823

$85.9 ₡42.6K

-10.73%

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

$17.14 NIO 631

$25.46 ₡12.6K

-32.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.47 NIO 1,416

$53.9 ₡26.7K

-28.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.48 NIO 1,307

$57.3 ₡28.4K

-38.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.92 NIO 549

$29.36 ₡14.6K

-49.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 NIO 303

$9.01 ₡4,466

-8.66%

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

$107 NIO 3,935

$540 ₡267.8K

-80.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,197 NIO 301.8K

$10.1K ₡5.0M

-18.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 NIO 2,479

$71.5 ₡35.5K

-5.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 NIO 1,861

$54.9 ₡27.2K

-7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 NIO 3,707

$117 ₡58.2K

-14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 NIO 3,437

$103 ₡50.8K

-8.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 NIO 13.2K

$810 ₡401.7K

-55.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 NIO 10.2K

$551 ₡272.9K

-49.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 NIO 21.9K

$1,488 ₡737.8K

-60.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 NIO 18.2K

$1,043 ₡516.9K

-52.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,211 NIO 44.6K

$2,335 ₡1.2M

-48.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$679 NIO 25.0K

$1,607 ₡796.5K

-57.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 NIO 11.1K

$981 ₡486.2K

-69.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.25

10.53

-2.66%

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

Last update for Nicaragua: January 13, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: January 12, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica

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