Cost of living comparison
Managua is 33.1% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 52.9% less in Managua
- Groceries
-
pay 25.0% less in Managua
- Transportation
-
pay 24.1% less in Managua
- Housing
-
pay 27.5% less in Managua
- Childcare
-
pay 68.7% less in Managua
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 40.6% less in Managua
- Clothing
-
pay 7.0% more in Managua
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and transportation are lower in Managua.
If you lived in Managua instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 52.9% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.83
CRC5,411.93
|
$4.08
NIO150.13
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.72
CRC4,855.71
|
$7.00
NIO257.58
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.99
CRC996.28
|
$0.65
NIO24.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.46
CRC730.05
|
$0.67
NIO24.69
|
|
pay 25.0% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.60
CRC1,297.53
|
$1.67
NIO61.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.26
CRC2,131.12
|
$2.35
NIO86.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.23
CRC3,614.14
|
$4.20
NIO154.47
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.26
CRC1,630.29
|
$1.94
NIO71.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.41
CRC2,202.02
|
$2.29
NIO84.39
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC974.72
|
$2.50
NIO91.91
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
CRC314.94
|
$0.64
NIO23.40
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.59
CRC795.04
|
$1.44
NIO52.96
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
CRC673.65
|
$0.59
NIO21.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
CRC649.37
|
$1.38
NIO50.71
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.19
CRC595.13
|
$0.79
NIO29.23
|
|
pay 24.1% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
CRC2,742.30
|
$5.07
NIO186.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.02
CRC19,000.61
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,925.49
CRC18,451,701.73
|
$22,000.00
NIO809,524.08
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.94
CRC7,965.79
|
?? | |
pay 27.5% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.59
CRC26,781.29
|
$44.10
NIO1,622.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$742.08
CRC370,817.73
|
$250.00
NIO9,199.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$463.60
CRC231,662.02
|
$250.00
NIO9,199.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.06
CRC31,508.95
|
$75.78
NIO2,788.32
|
|
pay 68.7% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$521.49
CRC260,589.82
|
$125.56
NIO4,620.01
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,425.72
CRC6,209,142.52
|
$4,800.00
NIO176,623.44
|
|
pay 40.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.92
CRC1,456.71
|
$1.36
NIO50.04
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.69
CRC1,844.55
|
$2.21
NIO81.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.05
CRC2,524.97
|
$2.66
NIO97.85
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.70
CRC29,832.68
|
$37.27
NIO1,371.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.72
CRC4,855.71
|
$7.30
NIO268.52
|
|
pay 7.0% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Managua
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$73.59
CRC36,771.08
|
$74.93
NIO2,757.12
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.81
CRC25,391.00
|
$56.67
NIO2,085.14
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$125.98
CRC62,954.11
|
$109.40
NIO4,025.63
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
CRC58,621.78
|
$150.00
NIO5,519.48
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Managua or San Jose. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.