Nicaragua vs Panama - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Nicaragua Panama
🚶 Cost of living one person
$699
$1198
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1658
$2872
🏠 One person rent
$304
$624
🏘️ Family rent
$462
$1080
🍽️ Food expenses
$283
$416
🚐 Transport expenses
$38.9
$61.7
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$307
$895
💸 GDP per capita
$2255
$17358
😃 Human freedom index
5.48
7.57
❤️ Life expectancy
73.8
76.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
17
35
🌐 English speaking %
1%
14%
🎓 Higher education
29
46
😀 Quality of life
29
56
🏙️ Population
5.14M
4.1M

The average cost of living in Nicaragua ($699) is 42% less expensive than in Panama ($1198). Nicaragua ranked 134th vs 53rd for Panama in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.4 months in Nicaragua compared to 0.7 months in Panama. Ranked 150th and 71st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Nicaragua vs Panama infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Nicaragua vs Panama

We calculate prices for Nicaragua and Panama as a population-weighted mean of 10 and 10 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Nicaragua Panama
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.02
$9.95
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$20.2
$48.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.83
$7.78
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.39
$2.46
 Cappuccino
$2.24
$3.95
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.83
$1.75
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$286
$712
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$195
$447
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$483
$1430
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$319
$794
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.7
$78.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.6
$121
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$54.1
$47.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
12.74%
6.05%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$871
$2303
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$742
$1386
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.45
$0.4
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$16.4
$28.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$6.33
$13
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.29
$1.08
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.99
$1.73
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.2
$2.21
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.2
$1.93
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.83
$2.59
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.45
$11.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.6
$7.31
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.47
$8.61
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.73
$3.02
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$1.36
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.1
$2.82
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.51
$2.86
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.37
$2.14
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.66
$2.02
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.68
$0.96
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.2
$2.52
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$9.79
$9.18
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.27
$1.14
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.85
$6.14
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.54
$11.2
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.97
$6.03
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.57
$3.11
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.72
$3.07
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$30.9
$38.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$4.93
$6.71
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$25.1
$45.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$4.3
$11.5
👖 Brand Jeans
$49.8
$53.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$85.6
$81.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$196
$408
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$6239
$9399

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Nicaragua vs Panama

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Nicaragua

City Cost of living Population
Managua
$787
937K
Leon
$614
174K
Masaya
$699
140K
Matagalpa
$548
133K
Chinandega
$627
122K
Esteli
$593
112K
Granada
$680
105K
Jinotega
$458
99.4K
Juigalpa
$647
51.8K
San Juan del Sur
$805
14.7K

In Panama

City Cost of living Population
Panama City
$1316
881K
Colon
$1157
242K
Tocumen
$1171
103K
Santiago de Veraguas
$961
89K
David
$789
82.9K
La Chorrera
$917
68.9K
Balboa
$1189
62.9K
Pacora
$1182
52.5K
Chitre
$980
46.2K
Penonome
$940
21.7K