Cost of living comparison

Philippines

compared to

Nicaragua

Managua vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Managua is 9.1% cheaper than Manila.

Restaurants: pay 53.0% more in Managua
Transportation: pay 1.6% more in Managua
Housing: pay 35.0% less in Managua
Childcare: pay 49.2% less in Managua
Entertainment and Sports: pay 5.7% more in Managua
Clothing: pay 76.9% more in Managua

The cost of clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Managua are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including childcare, housing, and groceries are lower in Managua. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Managua.

Planning a move to Nicaragua? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Managua vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Managua instead of Manila, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 53.0% more for restaurants

	Manila	Managua
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.58 ₱351.45	$10.00 NIO368.55	+79.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$3.98 ₱251.03	$7.61 NIO280.46	+91.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.40 ₱88.36	$0.88 NIO32.54	-37.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.85 ₱53.31	$0.71 NIO26.22	-15.9%
Average			+53.0%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay about the same for groceries

	Manila	Managua
Bread 1 loaf	$1.44 ₱90.93	$2.37 NIO87.46	+64.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.89 ₱244.77	$5.80 NIO213.64	+49.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.23 ₱455.56	$4.68 NIO172.61	-35.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.28 ₱143.70	$2.37 NIO87.18	+3.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.18 ₱137.50	$2.87 NIO105.79	+31.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.49 ₱93.83	$1.82 NIO67.08	+22.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.85 ₱53.49	$0.27 NIO10.03	-67.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.36 ₱85.76	$0.82 NIO30.09	-40.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.83 ₱51.97	$1.11 NIO41.05	+35.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.03 ₱64.97	$1.79 NIO65.90	+73.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.20 ₱75.72	$1.01 NIO37.13	-16.2%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 1.6% more for transportation

	Manila	Managua
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 ₱312.22	$5.06 NIO186.38	+2.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$12.75 ₱803.31	$6.01 NIO221.41	-52.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,359.52 ₱1M	$22,973.64 NIO847K	+7.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.54 ₱160.16	$14.69 NIO541.39	+477.8%
Average			+1.6%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 35.0% less for housing

	Manila	Managua
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$24.14 ₱1,520.93	$32.47 NIO1,196.57	+34.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$543.82 ₱34,257.78	$256.40 NIO9,449.50	-52.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$281.50 ₱17,733.05	$181.00 NIO6,670.67	-35.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$94.04 ₱5,924.32	$115.83 NIO4,268.74	+23.2%
Average			-35.0%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 49.2% less for childcare

	Manila	Managua
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$619.65 ₱39,034.94	$235.82 NIO8,690.94	-61.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,932.60 ₱563K	$6,060.00 NIO223K	-32.2%
Average			-49.2%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 5.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Manila	Managua
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.20 ₱75.31	$1.50 NIO55.28	+25.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.55 ₱160.66	$2.60 NIO95.82	+1.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.11 ₱195.81	$2.73 NIO100.51	-12.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$42.86 ₱2,700.12	$34.79 NIO1,282.16	-18.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.77 ₱426.76	$9.00 NIO331.69	+32.9%
Average			+5.7%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 76.9% more for clothing

	Manila	Managua
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$58.27 ₱3,670.68	$59.88 NIO2,206.90	+2.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$27.47 ₱1,730.75	$65.00 NIO2,395.54	+136.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$76.69 ₱4,830.90	$122.64 NIO4,519.99	+59.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$57.51 ₱3,623.11	$144.83 NIO5,337.49	+151.8%
Average			+76.9%

Manila vs. Managua - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Manila vs. Managua

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Managua?

More cost comparisons

Manila vs.

Dublin

Manila vs.

New York City

Manila vs.

London

Manila vs.

Paris

Manila vs.

Bangkok

Manila vs.

Vienna

Manila vs.

Cairo

Manila vs.

Reykjavik

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Philippines vs. Nicaragua. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Philippines and Nicaragua.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Manila

Add prices for Managua

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Managua or Manila. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.