Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Managua

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan del Sur and in Managua: $1,054 and $1,044 a month, rent and utilities included.

51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index

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San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,054

/mo nomad

Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan del Sur 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 San Juan del Sur and in Managua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,054 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $1,044 in Managua, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $1,054
Managua $1,044

A couple spends around $1,667 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $1,636 in Managua, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $1,667
Managua $1,636

A family of three spends $2,280 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $2,228 in Managua, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $2,280
Managua $2,228

San Juan del Sur and Managua have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both San Juan del Sur and Managua are more affordable than the global median – San Juan del Sur 23% lower, Managua 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 NIO 156

$10.16 NIO 372

-57.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.86 NIO 1,240

$34.46 NIO 1,262

-1.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 NIO 211

$7.59 NIO 278

-23.98%

Cappuccino

$2.65 NIO 96.9

$2.54 NIO 92.9

4.33%

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

$0.85 NIO 31.03

$0.87 NIO 31.85

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NIO 24.57

$0.73 NIO 26.57

-8.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.2

$1.48 NIO 54.0

3.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 NIO 81.2

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 NIO 43.49

$1.27 NIO 46.47

-6.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 NIO 56.5

$2.30 NIO 84.4

-33.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 NIO 43.12

$1.83 NIO 67.0

-35.52%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.2

$2.43 NIO 89.1

-2.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 NIO 283

$11.41 NIO 418

-32.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 NIO 239

$6.52 NIO 239

-0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 NIO 283

$8.00 NIO 293

-3.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 NIO 149

$4.11 NIO 151

-1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.89

$0.63 NIO 22.98

-1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 NIO 66.4

$1.84 NIO 67.3

-1.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 NIO 86.9

$2.42 NIO 88.8

-2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 NIO 118

$3.97 NIO 146

-18.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 NIO 80.9

$2.25 NIO 82.4

-1.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 NIO 39.69

$1.09 NIO 40.02

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.61

$1.05 NIO 38.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 NIO 99.0

$2.74 NIO 100

-1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 NIO 363

$14.82 NIO 543

-33.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 NIO 51.6

$1.49 NIO 54.5

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 NIO 82.7

$2.19 NIO 80.3

3.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 NIO 5.19

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.98 NIO 219

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 NIO 58.1

$1.60 NIO 58.7

-0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 NIO 57.9

$1.61 NIO 59.1

-1.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 NIO 252

$6.90 NIO 253

-0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 NIO 47.27

$1.37 NIO 50.1

-5.84%

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

$22.5K NIO 824.8K

$23.2K NIO 849.9K

-2.95%

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

$26.5K NIO 970.5K

$26.5K NIO 971.8K

-0.13%

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

$60.5 NIO 2,216

$154 NIO 5,639

-60.69%

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

$10.52 NIO 385

$19.66 NIO 720

-46.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.21 NIO 1,180

$33.00 NIO 1,209

-2.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 NIO 1,118

$35.30 NIO 1,293

-13.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NIO 555

Cinema Ticket

$9.02 NIO 331

$9.07 NIO 332

-0.55%

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

$235 NIO 8,624

$232 NIO 8,489

1.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,153 NIO 225.4K

$5,944 NIO 217.7K

3.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 NIO 2,197

$59.7 NIO 2,188

0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 NIO 2,348

$64.5 NIO 2,363

-0.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NIO 4,419

$122 NIO 4,479

-1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NIO 5,244

$143 NIO 5,246

-0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 NIO 15.4K

$256 NIO 9,363

64.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 NIO 14.3K

$178 NIO 6,504

120.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$943 NIO 34.5K

$443 NIO 16.2K

113.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 NIO 28.3K

$379 NIO 13.9K

103.76%

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)

$355 NIO 13.0K

$421 NIO 15.4K

-15.52%

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 San Juan del Sur: October 24, 2026

Last update for Managua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan del Sur

$391 37.1%

Managua

$178 17% 54.6% $213

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$226 21.4%

Managua

$262 25.1% 16% $36

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$175 16.6%

Managua

$175 16.8% 0.5% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$103 9.8%

Managua

$207 19.8% 100% $103

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$101 9.6%

Managua

$153 14.6% 50.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Managua

$53 5.1% 10% $4.8

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.5 * 0.9%

Managua

$16 1.6% 70.6% $6.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in San Juan del Sur versus $256 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 18% higher in Managua. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in San Juan del Sur versus $34 in Managua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $262 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Managua

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

Same time as San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

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

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Between locations

San Juan del Sur Managua 110 km

From you

San Juan del Sur
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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

San Juan del Sur vs Managua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,581 per month in San Juan del Sur and $1,566 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $421 in San Juan del Sur.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in San Juan del Sur – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in San Juan del Sur and $232 in Managua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,054 in San Juan del Sur and $1,044 in Managua, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan del Sur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,044 in Managua to $1,054 in San Juan del Sur. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.