Cost of living comparison

Panama

compared to

Nicaragua

Managua vs. Panama City Cost of Living Summary

Managua is 46.6% cheaper than Panama City.

Restaurants: pay 21.5% less in Managua
Groceries: pay 29.0% less in Managua
Transportation: pay 23.9% less in Managua
Housing: pay 71.8% less in Managua
Childcare: pay 47.8% less in Managua
Entertainment and Sports: pay 32.0% less in Managua
Clothing: pay 19.3% more in Managua

Expenses including housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Managua.

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Managua vs. Panama City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Managua instead of Panama City, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 21.5% less for restaurants

	Panama City	Managua
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$11.50 PAB11.50	$10.00 NIO368.06	-13.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.00 PAB8.00	$7.61 NIO280.09	-4.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.97 PAB1.97	$0.88 NIO32.49	-55.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.60 PAB1.60	$0.71 NIO26.18	-55.5%
Average			-21.5%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of restaurants

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pay 29.0% less for groceries

	Panama City	Managua
Bread 1 loaf	$2.52 PAB2.52	$2.37 NIO87.35	-5.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.18 PAB6.18	$5.80 NIO213.36	-6.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.09 PAB7.09	$4.68 NIO172.38	-33.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.75 PAB2.75	$2.37 NIO87.06	-13.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.07 PAB3.07	$2.87 NIO105.65	-6.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.87 PAB1.87	$1.82 NIO66.99	-2.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 PAB0.82	$0.27 NIO10.02	-67.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.92 PAB1.92	$0.82 NIO30.05	-57.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.86 PAB1.86	$1.11 NIO40.99	-40.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.55 PAB1.55	$1.79 NIO65.82	+15.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.96 PAB1.96	$1.01 NIO37.08	-48.5%
Average			-29.0%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of groceries

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pay 23.9% less for transportation

	Panama City	Managua
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.62 PAB4.62	$5.06 NIO186.13	+9.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$21.00 PAB21.00	$6.01 NIO221.12	-71.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,262.00 PAB21,262.00	$22,973.64 NIO846K	+8.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.98 PAB16.98	$14.69 NIO540.67	-13.5%
Average			-23.9%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of transportation

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pay 71.8% less for housing

	Panama City	Managua
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.70 PAB48.70	$32.47 NIO1,194.98	-33.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,262.50 PAB1,262.50	$256.40 NIO9,436.98	-79.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$874.18 PAB874.18	$181.00 NIO6,661.83	-79.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.29 PAB100.29	$115.83 NIO4,263.08	+15.5%
Average			-71.8%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of housing

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pay 47.8% less for childcare

	Panama City	Managua
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$543.33 PAB543.33	$235.82 NIO8,679.43	-56.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,641.50 PAB9,641.50	$6,060.00 NIO223K	-37.1%
Average			-47.8%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of childcare

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pay 32.0% less for entertainment and sports

	Panama City	Managua
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.30 PAB3.30	$1.50 NIO55.21	-54.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.11 PAB4.11	$2.60 NIO95.69	-36.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.00 PAB6.00	$2.73 NIO100.37	-54.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$46.40 PAB46.40	$34.79 NIO1,280.46	-25.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.50 PAB8.50	$9.00 NIO331.25	+5.9%
Average			-32.0%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 19.3% more for clothing

	Panama City	Managua
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.67 PAB66.67	$59.88 NIO2,203.98	-10.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$48.43 PAB48.43	$65.00 NIO2,392.37	+34.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$94.62 PAB94.62	$122.64 NIO4,514.01	+29.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$111.67 PAB111.67	$144.83 NIO5,330.42	+29.7%
Average			+19.3%

Panama City vs. Managua - Cost of clothing

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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

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