Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Nicaragua: $955 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Nicaragua
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Nicaragua Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$955

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nicaragua and in Costa Rica

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

A single person spends $955 per month in Nicaragua vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Nicaragua $955
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $1,508 per month in Nicaragua vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Nicaragua $1,508
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $2,061 per month in Nicaragua vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Nicaragua $2,061
Costa Rica $3,725

Cost ranges are similar: Nicaragua spans $116–$1,054, Costa Rica $1,004–$2,114. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Nicaragua is roughly 48% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Nicaragua sits 30% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.02 NIO 184

$11.26 ₡5,085

-55.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.93 NIO 1,133

$54.5 ₡24.6K

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 NIO 273

$11.02 ₡4,975

-32.49%

Cappuccino

$2.39 NIO 87.6

$4.43 ₡1,999

-46.05%

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

$0.83 NIO 30.52

$2.34 ₡1,055

-64.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NIO 24.03

$1.84 ₡829

-64.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NIO 48.70

$3.26 ₡1,473

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NIO 72.2

$4.55 ₡2,054

-56.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 NIO 44.49

$2.45 ₡1,105

-50.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NIO 75.4

$3.56 ₡1,608

-42.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 NIO 60.8

$2.76 ₡1,245

-39.86%

Eggs

$2.24 NIO 82.1

$3.97 ₡1,794

-43.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 NIO 346

$10.47 ₡4,728

-9.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 NIO 218

$9.98 ₡4,507

-40.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.99 NIO 293

$13.91 ₡6,278

-42.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 NIO 174

$5.06 ₡2,283

-6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 NIO 29.12

$1.69 ₡764

-52.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 NIO 72.2

$3.45 ₡1,558

-42.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 NIO 86.7

$3.23 ₡1,460

-26.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 NIO 137

$3.44 ₡1,555

8.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 NIO 81.7

$3.25 ₡1,465

-31.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.32

$1.09 ₡492

-3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NIO 39.82

$2.67 ₡1,204

-59.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 NIO 133

$5.38 ₡2,427

-32.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.32 NIO 488

$15.50 ₡6,996

-14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NIO 52.3

$2.75 ₡1,241

-48.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NIO 78.2

$3.30 ₡1,489

-35.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 NIO 5.03

$1.13 ₡509

-87.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.17 NIO 226

$65.5 ₡29.6K

-90.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 NIO 53.4

$2.17 ₡979

-32.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$2.02 ₡913

-29.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.84 NIO 251

$8.94 ₡4,036

-23.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 NIO 50.2

$1.61 ₡726

-14.91%

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

$22.7K NIO 830.0K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-34.30%

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

$26.5K NIO 971.2K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-29.02%

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

$111 NIO 4,080

$94.9 ₡42.9K

17.33%

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

$17.74 NIO 650

$31.42 ₡14.2K

-43.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.38 NIO 1,332

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-37.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 NIO 1,263

$65.7 ₡29.7K

-47.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 NIO 555

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-31.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NIO 355

$8.10 ₡3,656

19.51%

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

$234 NIO 8,568

$722 ₡325.9K

-67.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,648 NIO 243.5K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-48.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 NIO 1,997

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-27.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.48 NIO 1,629

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 NIO 4,086

$128 ₡57.9K

-12.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NIO 4,446

$108 ₡48.8K

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$960 ₡433.4K

-63.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 NIO 7,826

$708 ₡319.6K

-69.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 NIO 22.3K

$1,749 ₡789.4K

-65.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NIO 16.7K

$1,215 ₡548.5K

-62.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,179 NIO 43.2K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

-55.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 NIO 25.1K

$1,839 ₡830.1K

-62.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$357 NIO 13.1K

$1,058 ₡477.8K

-66.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

9.56

24.90%

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

Last update for Nicaragua: October 24, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nicaragua

$250 26.1%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 52.2% $130

Accommodation & Living

Nicaragua

$214 22.4%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 231% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nicaragua

$166 17.3%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 11.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nicaragua

$149 15.6%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 10.9% $16

Eating Out

Nicaragua

$108 11.3%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 103% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Nicaragua

$54 5.6%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 52.1% $28

Getting Around

Nicaragua

$15 1.6%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 439% $67

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $309 in Nicaragua vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $256 in Managua and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $321 in Nicaragua vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 177% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 69% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 1240% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

Same time as Nicaragua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,676,948

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.87 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Nicaragua Costa Rica 340 km

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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

Nicaragua vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nicaragua is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $309 in Nicaragua.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Nicaragua – part of why living there is about 48% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Nicaragua, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Nicaragua is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.