Cost of living comparison
Nicaragua is 36.2% cheaper than Costa Rica.
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 51.5% less for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.75
CRC4,975.61
|
$4.15
NIO153.25
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.08
CRC4,635.67
|
$5.48
NIO202.17
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CRC1,026.32
|
$0.95
NIO35.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.49
CRC761.37
|
$0.66
NIO24.18
|
|
pay 15.6% less for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
CRC1,292.57
|
$1.43
NIO52.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.76
CRC1,920.70
|
$2.35
NIO86.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.98
CRC3,560.88
|
$4.24
NIO156.49
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.21
CRC1,639.69
|
$1.88
NIO69.36
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC2,026.96
|
$2.20
NIO81.36
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.79
CRC913.40
|
$2.80
NIO103.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC314.90
|
$0.60
NIO22.20
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC620.92
|
$1.72
NIO63.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC623.60
|
$0.65
NIO24.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.09
CRC558.59
|
$1.08
NIO39.87
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
CRC568.50
|
$0.97
NIO35.91
|
|
pay 40.2% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.63
CRC2,872.34
|
$5.15
NIO190.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$49.00
CRC25,011.74
|
$30.05
NIO1,109.10
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,063.37
CRC17,898,258.10
|
$18,168.72
NIO670,548.20
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.62
CRC7,974.44
|
$5.42
NIO199.92
|
|
pay 34.8% less for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.50
CRC24,757.27
|
$44.72
NIO1,650.61
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$778.04
CRC397,152.88
|
$308.00
NIO11,367.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$547.50
CRC279,475.56
|
$281.86
NIO10,402.62
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.26
CRC34,842.46
|
$52.83
NIO1,949.64
|
|
pay 44.1% less for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$519.07
CRC264,960.41
|
$112.78
NIO4,162.26
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,987.74
CRC5,608,743.64
|
$9,900.00
NIO365,376.71
|
|
pay 40.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.73
CRC1,392.09
|
$1.22
NIO44.94
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CRC1,865.32
|
$2.28
NIO84.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.58
CRC2,339.06
|
$2.97
NIO109.47
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.46
CRC30,351.92
|
$26.12
NIO964.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.63
CRC4,403.14
|
$7.30
NIO269.32
|
|
pay 27.5% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Nicaragua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.32
CRC33,344.76
|
$42.40
NIO1,564.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.54
CRC22,735.83
|
$40.36
NIO1,489.51
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.39
CRC56,346.79
|
$58.79
NIO2,169.81
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.22
CRC49,624.79
|
$79.04
NIO2,917.04
|
|
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