Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Costa Rica:
City in Nicaragua:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in Nicaragua is 39.4% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Nicaragua is 43.2% lower than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in Nicaragua are 56.4% lower than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in Nicaragua are 52.0% lower than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in Nicaragua are 31.2% lower than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in Nicaragua is 51.7% lower than in Costa Rica

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	5,000.00 ₡ (9.91 $)	2,017.59 ₡ (4.00 $)	-59.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (59.48 $)	14,123.16 ₡ (28.00 $)	-52.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.91 $)	2,829.65 ₡ (5.61 $)	-43.4 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.97 $)	685.98 ₡ (1.36 $)	-54.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.96 $)	1,008.80 ₡ (2.00 $)	-59.6 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,947.75 ₡ (3.86 $)	1,110.21 ₡ (2.20 $)	-43.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,097.43 ₡ (2.18 $)	422.63 ₡ (0.84 $)	-61.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	836.61 ₡ (1.66 $)	332.75 ₡ (0.66 $)	-60.2 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,816.27 ₡ (7.57 $)	2,089.89 ₡ (4.14 $)	-45.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,408.40 ₡ (2.79 $)	657.85 ₡ (1.30 $)	-53.3 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	543.24 ₡ (1.08 $)	241.29 ₡ (0.48 $)	-55.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,719.38 ₡ (3.41 $)	956.68 ₡ (1.90 $)	-44.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1,988.33 ₡ (3.94 $)	1,034.99 ₡ (2.05 $)	-47.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,204.48 ₡ (4.37 $)	1,205.54 ₡ (2.39 $)	-45.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,054.56 ₡ (6.06 $)	1,878.70 ₡ (3.72 $)	-38.5 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,042.74 ₡ (2.07 $)	1,220.31 ₡ (2.42 $)	+17.0 %
Banana (1 lb)	362.70 ₡ (0.72 $)	354.67 ₡ (0.70 $)	-2.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	720.71 ₡ (1.43 $)	935.04 ₡ (1.85 $)	+29.7 %
Tomato (1 lb)	657.90 ₡ (1.30 $)	295.75 ₡ (0.59 $)	-55.0 %
Potato (1 lb)	625.07 ₡ (1.24 $)	470.91 ₡ (0.93 $)	-24.7 %
Onion (1 lb)	633.48 ₡ (1.26 $)	404.58 ₡ (0.80 $)	-36.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	504.13 ₡ (1.00 $)	441.59 ₡ (0.88 $)	-12.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,204.82 ₡ (2.39 $)	491.10 ₡ (0.97 $)	-59.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (15.86 $)	5,043.99 ₡ (10.00 $)	-37.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,201.88 ₡ (2.38 $)	660.51 ₡ (1.31 $)	-45.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,429.70 ₡ (2.83 $)	1,053.64 ₡ (2.09 $)	-26.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.96 $)	1,513.20 ₡ (3.00 $)	-39.5 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.99 $)	100.88 ₡ (0.20 $)	-79.8 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	20,800.00 ₡ (41.24 $)	4,276.42 ₡ (8.48 $)	-79.4 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	910.00 ₡ (1.80 $)	302.64 ₡ (0.60 $)	-66.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₡ (3.19 $)	476.29 ₡ (0.94 $)	-70.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,647.50 ₡ (7.23 $)	2,892.71 ₡ (5.73 $)	-20.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,871.29 ₡ (5.69 $)	2,555.60 ₡ (5.07 $)	-11.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,181.70 $)	10,844,569.56 ₡ (21,500.00 $)	-40.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,504,261.52 ₡ (34,703.23 $)	13,955,027.49 ₡ (27,666.67 $)	-20.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	41,997.61 ₡ (83.26 $)	33,618.82 ₡ (66.65 $)	-20.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	13,045.10 ₡ (25.86 $)	8,572.25 ₡ (16.99 $)	-34.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	27,184.86 ₡ (53.90 $)	19,603.41 ₡ (38.86 $)	-27.9 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	30,620.40 ₡ (60.71 $)	15,609.87 ₡ (30.95 $)	-49.0 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	16,053.85 ₡ (31.83 $)	0.00 ₡ (0.00 $)	-100.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (7.93 $)	3,680.76 ₡ (7.30 $)	-8.0 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	281,358.39 ₡ (557.81 $)	60,107.50 ₡ (119.17 $)	-78.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,819,548.73 ₡ (9,555.04 $)	4,690,906.83 ₡ (9,300.00 $)	-2.7 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	38,600.00 ₡ (76.53 $)	29,263.17 ₡ (58.02 $)	-24.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,922.92 ₡ (55.36 $)	21,993.02 ₡ (43.60 $)	-21.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	61,026.66 ₡ (120.99 $)	37,448.13 ₡ (74.24 $)	-38.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	55,569.98 ₡ (110.17 $)	42,817.52 ₡ (84.89 $)	-22.9 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	396,656.42 ₡ (786.39 $)	172,336.18 ₡ (341.67 $)	-56.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	272,701.54 ₡ (540.65 $)	138,709.61 ₡ (275.00 $)	-49.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	746,891.72 ₡ (1,480.76 $)	293,928.33 ₡ (582.73 $)	-60.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	519,540.34 ₡ (1,030.02 $)	238,328.33 ₡ (472.50 $)	-54.1 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	125,144.19 ₡ (248.11 $)	54,096.95 ₡ (107.25 $)	-56.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	69,350.98 ₡ (137.49 $)	44,516.78 ₡ (88.26 $)	-35.8 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	509,414.68 ₡ (1,009.94 $)	139,780.35 ₡ (277.12 $)	-72.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.29	10.50	+2.0 %
Last update:	December 2024	November 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:	189	31

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