Nicaragua vs Panama - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Nicaragua Panama
🚶 Cost of living one person
$699
$1260
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1646
$3090
🏠 One person rent
$295
$654
🏘️ Family rent
$454
$1202
🍽️ Food expenses
$287
$442
🚐 Transport expenses
$46.8
$67.1
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$348
$856
💸 GDP per capita
$2530
$18662
😃 Human freedom index
5.48
7.57
❤️ Life expectancy
74.6
76.8
👮 Corruption perceptions index
17
35
🌐 English speaking %
1%
14%
🎓 Higher education
29
46
😀 Quality of life
26
55
🏙️ Population
5.14M
4.1M

The average cost of living in Nicaragua ($699) is 45% less expensive than in Panama ($1260). Nicaragua ranked 139th vs 47th 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 0.5 months in Nicaragua compared to 0.7 months in Panama. Ranked 154th 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

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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
$5.59
$11.3
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$20.3
$54.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$6.35
$7.61
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.29
$2.82
 Cappuccino
$2.41
$3.96
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.79
$1.88
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$264
$699
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$205
$483
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$428
$1448
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$336
$928
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.7
$80
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.7
$122
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$42.2
$47.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
10.51%
6.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1131
$2352
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$923
$1504
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.44
$0.4
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$24.1
$30.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$6.88
$14.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.29
$1.05
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.01
$1.77
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.24
$2.23
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.22
$2.26
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.82
$2.67
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.35
$12.5
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.55
$7.36
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.27
$9.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.02
$3.32
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.53
$1.54
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.24
$3.08
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.48
$2.92
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.43
$2.23
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.8
$2.51
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.77
$1.01
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.21
$2.44
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.2
$8.84
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.23
$1.11
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.79
$5.89
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.52
$12.1
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.98
$6.01
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.57
$2.89
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.71
$2.65
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$25.4
$38.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.08
$6.51
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$24.9
$45.6
💇 Haircut, simple
$4.29
$11.5
👖 Brand Jeans
$52.6
$53.1
👟 Brand Sneakers
$72
$86.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$110
$438
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$6201
$9292

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
$774
937K
Leon
$639
174K
Masaya
$712
140K
Chinandega
$638
122K
Esteli
$593
112K
Matagalpa
$550
133K
Jinotega
$457
99.4K
Granada
$697
105K
Juigalpa
$664
51.8K
San Juan del Sur
$890
14.7K

In Panama

City Cost of living Population
Panama City
$1384
881K
Colon
$1182
242K
Tocumen
$1231
103K
Santiago de Veraguas
$1056
89K
La Chorrera
$953
68.9K
Balboa
$1249
62.9K
David
$833
82.9K
Pacora
$1249
52.5K
Chitre
$1091
46.2K
Penonome
$1098
21.7K