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 35.7% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Nicaragua is 40.0% lower than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in Nicaragua are 54.9% lower than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in Nicaragua are 49.2% lower than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in Nicaragua are 28.4% lower than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in Nicaragua is 52.7% 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 ₡ (9.99 $)	2,073.60 ₡ (4.14 $)	-58.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (59.95 $)	15,012.59 ₡ (30.00 $)	-50.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.99 $)	3,502.94 ₡ (7.00 $)	-29.9 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (3.00 $)	680.57 ₡ (1.36 $)	-54.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,400.00 ₡ (4.80 $)	1,000.84 ₡ (2.00 $)	-58.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,992.29 ₡ (3.98 $)	1,042.91 ₡ (2.08 $)	-47.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,095.27 ₡ (2.19 $)	417.45 ₡ (0.83 $)	-61.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	845.10 ₡ (1.69 $)	332.56 ₡ (0.66 $)	-60.6 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,796.58 ₡ (7.59 $)	2,222.92 ₡ (4.44 $)	-41.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,445.52 ₡ (2.89 $)	923.46 ₡ (1.85 $)	-36.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	541.13 ₡ (1.08 $)	357.55 ₡ (0.71 $)	-33.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,712.25 ₡ (3.42 $)	1,038.49 ₡ (2.08 $)	-39.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	2,051.45 ₡ (4.10 $)	1,962.90 ₡ (3.92 $)	-4.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,145.55 ₡ (4.29 $)	1,414.52 ₡ (2.83 $)	-34.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,005.95 ₡ (6.01 $)	1,800.22 ₡ (3.60 $)	-40.1 %
Apples (1 lb)	999.75 ₡ (2.00 $)	935.26 ₡ (1.87 $)	-6.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	369.43 ₡ (0.74 $)	266.97 ₡ (0.53 $)	-27.7 %
Oranges (1 lb)	731.27 ₡ (1.46 $)	530.94 ₡ (1.06 $)	-27.4 %
Tomato (1 lb)	690.97 ₡ (1.38 $)	469.52 ₡ (0.94 $)	-32.0 %
Potato (1 lb)	665.43 ₡ (1.33 $)	794.94 ₡ (1.59 $)	+19.5 %
Onion (1 lb)	644.52 ₡ (1.29 $)	455.24 ₡ (0.91 $)	-29.4 %
Lettuce (1 head)	505.64 ₡ (1.01 $)	446.09 ₡ (0.89 $)	-11.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,243.91 ₡ (2.49 $)	493.45 ₡ (0.99 $)	-60.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (15.99 $)	5,004.20 ₡ (10.00 $)	-37.4 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,172.70 ₡ (2.34 $)	704.77 ₡ (1.41 $)	-39.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,376.95 ₡ (2.75 $)	1,074.87 ₡ (2.15 $)	-21.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (5.00 $)	1,588.83 ₡ (3.17 $)	-36.4 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (1.00 $)	69.19 ₡ (0.14 $)	-86.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	25,000.00 ₡ (49.96 $)	3,006.39 ₡ (6.01 $)	-88.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	910.00 ₡ (1.82 $)	502.92 ₡ (1.01 $)	-44.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₡ (3.22 $)	503.34 ₡ (1.01 $)	-68.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,845.00 ₡ (7.68 $)	3,403.29 ₡ (6.80 $)	-11.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,832.88 ₡ (5.66 $)	2,520.25 ₡ (5.04 $)	-11.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,469.39 $)	11,496,458.42 ₡ (22,973.64 $)	-37.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,789,322.25 ₡ (35,548.81 $)	13,564,506.10 ₡ (27,106.26 $)	-23.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	44,570.36 ₡ (89.07 $)	35,218.35 ₡ (70.38 $)	-21.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	13,084.27 ₡ (26.15 $)	8,622.23 ₡ (17.23 $)	-34.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	27,481.19 ₡ (54.92 $)	19,170.47 ₡ (38.31 $)	-30.2 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	28,893.26 ₡ (57.74 $)	16,529.01 ₡ (33.03 $)	-42.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	15,308.33 ₡ (30.59 $)	7,506.29 ₡ (15.00 $)	-51.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (7.99 $)	4,003.36 ₡ (8.00 $)	+0.1 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	275,344.04 ₡ (550.23 $)	44,704.15 ₡ (89.33 $)	-83.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,960,841.21 ₡ (9,913.36 $)	4,003,357.09 ₡ (8,000.00 $)	-19.3 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	36,960.84 ₡ (73.86 $)	33,480.61 ₡ (66.91 $)	-9.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,826.35 ₡ (55.61 $)	25,003.56 ₡ (49.97 $)	-10.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	62,625.18 ₡ (125.15 $)	51,034.36 ₡ (101.98 $)	-18.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	53,940.26 ₡ (107.79 $)	47,230.57 ₡ (94.38 $)	-12.4 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	395,498.63 ₡ (790.33 $)	173,895.82 ₡ (347.50 $)	-56.0 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	265,379.56 ₡ (530.31 $)	136,051.59 ₡ (271.88 $)	-48.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	732,356.27 ₡ (1,463.48 $)	297,684.34 ₡ (594.87 $)	-59.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	501,960.04 ₡ (1,003.08 $)	246,196.66 ₡ (491.98 $)	-51.0 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	125,049.43 ₡ (249.89 $)	56,562.98 ₡ (113.03 $)	-54.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	69,672.32 ₡ (139.23 $)	24,128.37 ₡ (48.22 $)	-65.4 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	502,750.05 ₡ (1,004.66 $)	142,804.27 ₡ (285.37 $)	-71.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.29	10.25	-0.4 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	112	31

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