Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua Reverse

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.
City in Costa Rica:
City in Nicaragua:
Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Nicaragua are 34.6% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Nicaragua are 37.4% lower than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in Nicaragua are 48.0% lower than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in Nicaragua are 47.8% lower than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in Nicaragua are 27.2% lower than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in Nicaragua is 49.4% 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 ₡
(9.36 $)
2,246.93 ₡
(4.21 $)
     -55.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 30,000.00 ₡
(56.18 $)
15,583.38 ₡
(29.18 $)
     -48.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 4,878.15 ₡
(9.13 $)
3,204.20 ₡
(6.00 $)
     -34.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 1,500.00 ₡
(2.81 $)
726.29 ₡
(1.36 $)
     -51.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2,200.00 ₡
(4.12 $)
1,068.07 ₡
(2.00 $)
     -51.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 1,694.27 ₡
(3.17 $)
1,102.31 ₡
(2.06 $)
     -34.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 1,016.10 ₡
(1.90 $)
476.25 ₡
(0.89 $)
     -53.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 818.51 ₡
(1.53 $)
405.41 ₡
(0.76 $)
     -50.5 %
Markets
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3,612.82 ₡
(6.77 $)
2,129.04 ₡
(3.99 $)
     -41.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1,126.85 ₡
(2.11 $)
624.20 ₡
(1.17 $)
     -44.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 476.78 ₡
(0.89 $)
248.63 ₡
(0.47 $)
     -47.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 1,623.32 ₡
(3.04 $)
997.58 ₡
(1.87 $)
     -38.5 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 1,843.97 ₡
(3.45 $)
1,037.24 ₡
(1.94 $)
     -43.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 1,999.82 ₡
(3.74 $)
1,192.73 ₡
(2.23 $)
     -40.4 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 2,782.31 ₡
(5.21 $)
1,796.22 ₡
(3.36 $)
     -35.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 977.06 ₡
(1.83 $)
1,184.51 ₡
(2.22 $)
     +21.2 %
Banana (1 lb) 355.98 ₡
(0.67 $)
314.67 ₡
(0.59 $)
     -11.6 %
Oranges (1 lb) 617.51 ₡
(1.16 $)
753.70 ₡
(1.41 $)
     +22.1 %
Tomato (1 lb) 555.80 ₡
(1.04 $)
332.64 ₡
(0.62 $)
     -40.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 592.08 ₡
(1.11 $)
470.14 ₡
(0.88 $)
     -20.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 561.19 ₡
(1.05 $)
346.64 ₡
(0.65 $)
     -38.2 %
Lettuce (1 head) 530.62 ₡
(0.99 $)
478.07 ₡
(0.90 $)
     -9.9 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1,181.52 ₡
(2.21 $)
457.65 ₡
(0.86 $)
     -61.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 7,000.00 ₡
(13.11 $)
5,340.33 ₡
(10.00 $)
     -23.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1,111.76 ₡
(2.08 $)
701.90 ₡
(1.31 $)
     -36.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 1,498.44 ₡
(2.81 $)
1,130.26 ₡
(2.12 $)
     -24.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 2,350.00 ₡
(4.40 $)
1,602.10 ₡
(3.00 $)
     -31.8 %
Transportation
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 500.00 ₡
(0.94 $)
120.16 ₡
(0.23 $)
     -76.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 20,400.00 ₡
(38.20 $)
4,934.00 ₡
(9.24 $)
     -75.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 775.00 ₡
(1.45 $)
333.77 ₡
(0.62 $)
     -56.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1,288.32 ₡
(2.41 $)
524.85 ₡
(0.98 $)
     -59.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 3,500.00 ₡
(6.55 $)
5,340.33 ₡
(10.00 $)
     +52.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3,062.92 ₡
(5.74 $)
2,589.09 ₡
(4.85 $)
     -15.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 16,146,000.00 ₡
(30,234.06 $)
9,168,671.44 ₡
(17,168.72 $)
     -43.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 16,138,115.44 ₡
(30,219.30 $)
12,302,584.97 ₡
(23,037.10 $)
     -23.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 40,693.06 ₡
(76.20 $)
34,252.95 ₡
(64.14 $)
     -15.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 11,235.29 ₡
(21.04 $)
8,648.14 ₡
(16.19 $)
     -23.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 26,220.45 ₡
(49.10 $)
27,475.28 ₡
(51.45 $)
     +4.8 %
Sports And Leisure
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 27,111.65 ₡
(50.77 $)
15,525.16 ₡
(29.07 $)
     -42.7 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 17,712.63 ₡
(33.17 $)
0.00 ₡
(0.00 $)
     -100.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 3,600.00 ₡
(6.74 $)
3,510.10 ₡
(6.57 $)
     -2.5 %
Childcare
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 211,133.46 ₡
(395.36 $)
53,979.35 ₡
(101.08 $)
     -74.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 4,342,355.85 ₡
(8,131.24 $)
2,696,734.82 ₡
(5,049.75 $)
     -37.9 %
Clothing And Shoes
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 38,576.23 ₡
(72.24 $)
26,233.18 ₡
(49.12 $)
     -32.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 26,037.07 ₡
(48.76 $)
23,402.80 ₡
(43.82 $)
     -10.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 59,707.12 ₡
(111.80 $)
42,491.09 ₡
(79.57 $)
     -28.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 50,822.54 ₡
(95.17 $)
41,692.47 ₡
(78.07 $)
     -18.0 %
Rent Per Month
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 314,132.27 ₡
(588.23 $)
157,682.42 ₡
(295.27 $)
     -49.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 217,672.09 ₡
(407.60 $)
119,044.96 ₡
(222.92 $)
     -45.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 590,597.92 ₡
(1,105.92 $)
302,618.97 ₡
(566.67 $)
     -48.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 428,709.60 ₡
(802.78 $)
227,747.24 ₡
(426.47 $)
     -46.9 %
Buy Apartment Price
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 96,244.22 ₡
(180.22 $)
46,581.23 ₡
(87.23 $)
     -51.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 63,611.31 ₡
(119.11 $)
38,219.33 ₡
(71.57 $)
     -39.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Costa Rica Edit Nicaragua Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 466,589.48 ₡
(873.71 $)
147,766.12 ₡
(276.70 $)
     -68.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 9.38 11.69      +24.6 %
Last update: September 2023September 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:18130