Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Consumer Prices in Nicaragua are 30.7% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent) | |
| Consumer Prices Including Rent in Nicaragua are 34.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Nicaragua are 48.8% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Nicaragua are 46.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Nicaragua are 29.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Nicaragua is 46.7% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.24 $) |
2,221.01 ₡ (4.10 $) |
-55.6 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (55.43 $) |
16,014.75 ₡ (29.59 $) |
-46.6 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
4,500.00 ₡ (8.31 $) |
3,247.30 ₡ (6.00 $) |
-27.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (2.77 $) |
811.83 ₡ (1.50 $) |
-45.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,181.33 ₡ (4.03 $) |
1,190.14 ₡ (2.20 $) |
-45.4 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,633.92 ₡ (3.02 $) |
1,135.28 ₡ (2.10 $) |
-30.5 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
995.19 ₡ (1.84 $) |
436.00 ₡ (0.81 $) |
-56.2 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
829.78 ₡ (1.53 $) |
386.78 ₡ (0.71 $) |
-53.4 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,398.12 ₡ (6.28 $) |
2,077.49 ₡ (3.84 $) |
-38.9 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
991.56 ₡ (1.83 $) |
640.97 ₡ (1.18 $) |
-35.4 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
449.62 ₡ (0.83 $) |
251.85 ₡ (0.47 $) |
-44.0 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,522.04 ₡ (2.81 $) |
998.84 ₡ (1.85 $) |
-34.4 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
1,833.24 ₡ (3.39 $) |
992.60 ₡ (1.83 $) |
-45.9 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,017.41 ₡ (3.73 $) |
1,219.00 ₡ (2.25 $) |
-39.6 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
2,719.86 ₡ (5.03 $) |
1,650.78 ₡ (3.05 $) |
-39.3 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1,024.80 ₡ (1.89 $) |
1,114.11 ₡ (2.06 $) |
+8.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
359.66 ₡ (0.66 $) |
291.94 ₡ (0.54 $) |
-18.8 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
646.51 ₡ (1.19 $) |
634.86 ₡ (1.17 $) |
-1.8 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
565.16 ₡ (1.04 $) |
325.66 ₡ (0.60 $) |
-42.4 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
524.10 ₡ (0.97 $) |
376.08 ₡ (0.69 $) |
-28.2 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
601.07 ₡ (1.11 $) |
359.56 ₡ (0.66 $) |
-40.2 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
520.48 ₡ (0.96 $) |
481.44 ₡ (0.89 $) |
-7.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,182.32 ₡ (2.18 $) |
532.04 ₡ (0.98 $) |
-55.0 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
7,000.00 ₡ (12.93 $) |
5,362.76 ₡ (9.91 $) |
-23.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,058.14 ₡ (1.96 $) |
712.02 ₡ (1.32 $) |
-32.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,379.95 ₡ (2.55 $) |
1,085.73 ₡ (2.01 $) |
-21.3 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.62 $) |
1,623.65 ₡ (3.00 $) |
-35.1 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (0.92 $) |
93.24 ₡ (0.17 $) |
-81.4 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
20,400.00 ₡ (37.69 $) |
5,177.33 ₡ (9.57 $) |
-74.6 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
675.00 ₡ (1.25 $) |
518.40 ₡ (0.96 $) |
-23.2 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,126.54 ₡ (2.08 $) |
553.68 ₡ (1.02 $) |
-50.9 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,500.00 ₡ (6.47 $) |
3,247.30 ₡ (6.00 $) |
-7.2 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
3,033.42 ₡ (5.60 $) |
2,572.21 ₡ (4.75 $) |
-15.2 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
15,000,000.00 ₡ (27,715.33 $) |
9,741,900.55 ₡ (18,000.00 $) |
-35.1 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
15,549,113.79 ₡ (28,729.92 $) |
12,554,921.35 ₡ (23,197.59 $) |
-19.3 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
38,003.75 ₡ (70.22 $) |
34,089.20 ₡ (62.99 $) |
-10.3 % |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) |
36.42 ₡ (0.07 $) |
195.88 ₡ (0.36 $) |
+437.8 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
28,370.87 ₡ (52.42 $) |
30,301.00 ₡ (55.99 $) |
+6.8 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
27,994.67 ₡ (51.73 $) |
15,598.66 ₡ (28.82 $) |
-44.3 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
16,818.42 ₡ (31.08 $) |
8,118.25 ₡ (15.00 $) |
-51.7 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
3,600.00 ₡ (6.65 $) |
3,326.10 ₡ (6.15 $) |
-7.6 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
207,221.39 ₡ (382.88 $) |
68,044.80 ₡ (125.73 $) |
-67.2 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,493,140.64 ₡ (8,301.93 $) |
2,191,836.91 ₡ (4,049.83 $) |
-51.2 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
40,202.83 ₡ (74.28 $) |
21,279.38 ₡ (39.32 $) |
-47.1 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,675.67 ₡ (51.14 $) |
20,865.84 ₡ (38.55 $) |
-24.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
59,806.10 ₡ (110.50 $) |
34,768.28 ₡ (64.24 $) |
-41.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,624.23 ₡ (99.08 $) |
36,317.17 ₡ (67.10 $) |
-32.3 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
308,140.78 ₡ (569.35 $) |
145,253.18 ₡ (268.38 $) |
-52.9 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
211,258.33 ₡ (390.34 $) |
111,586.15 ₡ (206.18 $) |
-47.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
564,458.57 ₡ (1,042.94 $) |
281,041.75 ₡ (519.28 $) |
-50.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
396,323.19 ₡ (732.28 $) |
220,641.35 ₡ (407.68 $) |
-44.3 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
94,597.30 ₡ (174.79 $) |
47,207.78 ₡ (87.23 $) |
-50.1 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
65,939.88 ₡ (121.84 $) |
38,733.41 ₡ (71.57 $) |
-41.3 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
456,817.37 ₡ (844.06 $) |
159,586.41 ₡ (294.87 $) |
-65.1 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 9.51 | 12.96 | +36.3 % |
| Last update: | March 2023 | February 2023 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 123 | 21 |
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