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 39.0% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Nicaragua is 42.9% lower than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in Nicaragua are 56.3% lower than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in Nicaragua are 51.9% lower than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in Nicaragua are 31.1% lower than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in Nicaragua is 50.4% 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 ₡ (9.91 $)	2,017.96 ₡ (4.00 $)	-59.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (59.47 $)	14,125.75 ₡ (28.00 $)	-52.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.91 $)	2,830.17 ₡ (5.61 $)	-43.4 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.97 $)	686.11 ₡ (1.36 $)	-54.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.96 $)	1,008.98 ₡ (2.00 $)	-59.6 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,932.13 ₡ (3.83 $)	1,110.41 ₡ (2.20 $)	-42.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,097.44 ₡ (2.18 $)	422.70 ₡ (0.84 $)	-61.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	837.82 ₡ (1.66 $)	332.81 ₡ (0.66 $)	-60.3 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,802.86 ₡ (7.54 $)	2,090.28 ₡ (4.14 $)	-45.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,408.43 ₡ (2.79 $)	657.97 ₡ (1.30 $)	-53.3 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	543.25 ₡ (1.08 $)	241.33 ₡ (0.48 $)	-55.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,730.47 ₡ (3.43 $)	956.85 ₡ (1.90 $)	-44.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1,961.73 ₡ (3.89 $)	1,035.18 ₡ (2.05 $)	-47.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,212.64 ₡ (4.39 $)	1,205.77 ₡ (2.39 $)	-45.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,054.60 ₡ (6.05 $)	1,879.05 ₡ (3.72 $)	-38.5 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,061.29 ₡ (2.10 $)	1,220.53 ₡ (2.42 $)	+15.0 %
Banana (1 lb)	359.46 ₡ (0.71 $)	354.73 ₡ (0.70 $)	-1.3 %
Oranges (1 lb)	714.29 ₡ (1.42 $)	935.22 ₡ (1.85 $)	+30.9 %
Tomato (1 lb)	651.52 ₡ (1.29 $)	295.80 ₡ (0.59 $)	-54.6 %
Potato (1 lb)	617.45 ₡ (1.22 $)	470.99 ₡ (0.93 $)	-23.7 %
Onion (1 lb)	633.49 ₡ (1.26 $)	404.65 ₡ (0.80 $)	-36.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	504.26 ₡ (1.00 $)	441.68 ₡ (0.88 $)	-12.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,196.15 ₡ (2.37 $)	491.19 ₡ (0.97 $)	-58.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (15.86 $)	5,044.91 ₡ (10.00 $)	-36.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,193.91 ₡ (2.37 $)	660.64 ₡ (1.31 $)	-44.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,414.25 ₡ (2.80 $)	1,053.83 ₡ (2.09 $)	-25.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.96 $)	1,513.47 ₡ (3.00 $)	-39.5 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.99 $)	100.90 ₡ (0.20 $)	-79.8 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	20,800.00 ₡ (41.23 $)	4,277.21 ₡ (8.48 $)	-79.4 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	910.00 ₡ (1.80 $)	302.69 ₡ (0.60 $)	-66.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₡ (3.19 $)	476.38 ₡ (0.94 $)	-70.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,647.50 ₡ (7.23 $)	2,893.24 ₡ (5.73 $)	-20.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,873.55 ₡ (5.70 $)	2,556.06 ₡ (5.07 $)	-11.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,175.08 $)	10,846,555.40 ₡ (21,500.00 $)	-40.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,505,094.16 ₡ (34,698.53 $)	13,957,582.92 ₡ (27,666.67 $)	-20.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	41,361.61 ₡ (81.99 $)	33,624.97 ₡ (66.65 $)	-18.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	12,747.51 ₡ (25.27 $)	8,573.82 ₡ (16.99 $)	-32.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	26,872.92 ₡ (53.27 $)	19,607.00 ₡ (38.86 $)	-27.0 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	29,612.45 ₡ (58.70 $)	15,612.73 ₡ (30.95 $)	-47.3 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	16,053.85 ₡ (31.82 $)	0.00 ₡ (0.00 $)	-100.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (7.93 $)	3,681.43 ₡ (7.30 $)	-8.0 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	281,360.59 ₡ (557.71 $)	60,118.50 ₡ (119.17 $)	-78.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,819,821.32 ₡ (9,553.83 $)	4,691,765.83 ₡ (9,300.00 $)	-2.7 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	38,085.56 ₡ (75.49 $)	29,268.53 ₡ (58.02 $)	-23.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,440.17 ₡ (54.39 $)	21,997.05 ₡ (43.60 $)	-19.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	60,738.80 ₡ (120.40 $)	37,454.98 ₡ (74.24 $)	-38.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	54,593.89 ₡ (108.22 $)	42,825.36 ₡ (84.89 $)	-21.6 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	394,504.36 ₡ (781.99 $)	172,367.74 ₡ (341.67 $)	-56.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	274,886.47 ₡ (544.88 $)	138,735.01 ₡ (275.00 $)	-49.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	742,922.66 ₡ (1,472.62 $)	293,982.16 ₡ (582.73 $)	-60.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	517,571.45 ₡ (1,025.93 $)	238,371.97 ₡ (472.50 $)	-53.9 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	110,885.50 ₡ (219.80 $)	54,106.86 ₡ (107.25 $)	-51.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	67,543.17 ₡ (133.88 $)	44,524.94 ₡ (88.26 $)	-34.1 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	Nicaragua Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	493,214.17 ₡ (977.65 $)	139,805.94 ₡ (277.12 $)	-71.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.31	10.50	+1.8 %
Last update:	December 2024	November 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:	186	31

Moving to Costa Rica? Explore:

Moving to Nicaragua? Explore:

Other comparisons Costa Rica vs Nicaragua:

About In the News Newsletter API