Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Nicaragua is 34.9% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Nicaragua is 39.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Nicaragua are 54.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Nicaragua are 48.6% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Nicaragua are 27.8% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Nicaragua is 53.7% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.88 $) |
2,097.34 ₡ (4.14 $) |
-58.1 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (59.27 $) |
15,184.45 ₡ (30.00 $) |
-49.4 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (9.88 $) |
3,543.04 ₡ (7.00 $) |
-29.1 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (2.96 $) |
688.36 ₡ (1.36 $) |
-54.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,400.00 ₡ (4.74 $) |
1,012.30 ₡ (2.00 $) |
-57.8 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,988.68 ₡ (3.93 $) |
1,054.85 ₡ (2.08 $) |
-47.0 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,091.08 ₡ (2.16 $) |
422.23 ₡ (0.83 $) |
-61.3 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
842.47 ₡ (1.66 $) |
336.37 ₡ (0.66 $) |
-60.1 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,797.61 ₡ (7.50 $) |
2,248.37 ₡ (4.44 $) |
-40.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,446.31 ₡ (2.86 $) |
934.03 ₡ (1.85 $) |
-35.4 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
541.44 ₡ (1.07 $) |
361.64 ₡ (0.71 $) |
-33.2 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,713.17 ₡ (3.38 $) |
1,050.38 ₡ (2.08 $) |
-38.7 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,104.07 ₡ (4.16 $) |
1,985.37 ₡ (3.92 $) |
-5.6 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,146.29 ₡ (4.24 $) |
1,430.71 ₡ (2.83 $) |
-33.3 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,005.95 ₡ (5.94 $) |
1,820.83 ₡ (3.60 $) |
-39.4 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
999.75 ₡ (1.98 $) |
945.96 ₡ (1.87 $) |
-5.4 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
369.71 ₡ (0.73 $) |
270.03 ₡ (0.53 $) |
-27.0 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
731.47 ₡ (1.45 $) |
537.02 ₡ (1.06 $) |
-26.6 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
691.12 ₡ (1.37 $) |
474.90 ₡ (0.94 $) |
-31.3 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
676.72 ₡ (1.34 $) |
804.04 ₡ (1.59 $) |
+18.8 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
644.89 ₡ (1.27 $) |
460.45 ₡ (0.91 $) |
-28.6 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
506.13 ₡ (1.00 $) |
451.20 ₡ (0.89 $) |
-10.9 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,243.91 ₡ (2.46 $) |
499.10 ₡ (0.99 $) |
-59.9 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (15.81 $) |
5,061.48 ₡ (10.00 $) |
-36.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,173.17 ₡ (2.32 $) |
712.83 ₡ (1.41 $) |
-39.2 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,377.45 ₡ (2.72 $) |
1,087.17 ₡ (2.15 $) |
-21.1 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (4.94 $) |
1,607.02 ₡ (3.17 $) |
-35.7 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (0.99 $) |
69.98 ₡ (0.14 $) |
-86.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (49.39 $) |
3,040.81 ₡ (6.01 $) |
-87.8 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
910.00 ₡ (1.80 $) |
508.68 ₡ (1.01 $) |
-44.1 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,609.34 ₡ (3.18 $) |
509.10 ₡ (1.01 $) |
-68.4 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (7.60 $) |
3,442.25 ₡ (6.80 $) |
-10.5 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,834.15 ₡ (5.60 $) |
2,549.10 ₡ (5.04 $) |
-10.1 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,056.63 $) |
11,628,064.50 ₡ (22,973.64 $) |
-36.3 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,833,891.88 ₡ (35,234.53 $) |
13,719,786.23 ₡ (27,106.26 $) |
-23.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
44,605.82 ₡ (88.13 $) |
37,495.68 ₡ (74.08 $) |
-15.9 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,907.28 ₡ (25.50 $) |
8,861.14 ₡ (17.51 $) |
-31.3 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,506.85 ₡ (54.35 $) |
19,250.36 ₡ (38.03 $) |
-30.0 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
28,769.37 ₡ (56.84 $) |
16,718.23 ₡ (33.03 $) |
-41.9 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
15,308.33 ₡ (30.24 $) |
7,592.22 ₡ (15.00 $) |
-50.4 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,000.00 ₡ (7.90 $) |
4,049.19 ₡ (8.00 $) |
+1.2 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
275,494.79 ₡ (544.30 $) |
45,215.91 ₡ (89.33 $) |
-83.6 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,869,922.10 ₡ (9,621.53 $) |
4,049,185.65 ₡ (8,000.00 $) |
-16.9 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,972.30 ₡ (73.05 $) |
33,863.88 ₡ (66.91 $) |
-8.4 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,556.18 ₡ (54.44 $) |
25,289.79 ₡ (49.97 $) |
-8.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
62,686.41 ₡ (123.85 $) |
51,618.58 ₡ (101.98 $) |
-17.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
54,014.98 ₡ (106.72 $) |
47,771.24 ₡ (94.38 $) |
-11.6 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
391,038.22 ₡ (772.58 $) |
175,886.50 ₡ (347.50 $) |
-55.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
267,389.89 ₡ (528.28 $) |
137,609.04 ₡ (271.88 $) |
-48.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
735,782.86 ₡ (1,453.69 $) |
301,092.09 ₡ (594.87 $) |
-59.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
504,214.74 ₡ (996.18 $) |
249,015.00 ₡ (491.98 $) |
-50.6 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
125,739.41 ₡ (248.42 $) |
55,755.03 ₡ (110.16 $) |
-55.7 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
69,929.55 ₡ (138.16 $) |
24,404.58 ₡ (48.22 $) |
-65.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Nicaragua Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
513,191.12 ₡ (1,013.91 $) |
144,439.03 ₡ (285.37 $) |
-71.9 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.29 | 10.25 | -0.4 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 115 | 33 |
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