How much does food cost in Nicaragua?
Mike Cobb - ECI Development
Local food in Nicaragua is inexpensive. There is also quite a bit of organic food in Nicaragua. Our family receives about 20-30 pounds of fresh organic produce each week for less than US $10. Cheese, eggs and free-range chicken, beef and pork abound at a price about 1/3 US prices for comparable products. Processed food in Nicaragua like boxed cereal is about 50% more than in the US.
Local food in Nicaragua is inexpensive. There is also quite a bit of organic food in Nicaragua. Our family receives about 20-30 pounds of fresh organic produce each week for less than US $10. Cheese, eggs and free-range chicken, beef and pork abound at a price about 1/3 US prices for comparable products. Processed food in Nicaragua like boxed cereal is about 50% more than in the US.
Posted January 19, 2014
Blue van Doorninck - Rancho Chilamate Horseback Adventures & Guest Ranch
The food cost in Nicaragua may depend on the standard of food that you want to buy. Everything is available here for you to buy, but if the item you want to buy is imported then it is more expensive. If you want to live on the same diet as the Nicaraguans, which is based on rice and beans with some proteins and vegetables, you can buy good here in Nicaragua for next to nothing. If you want to have wine with dinner, fillet mignon, mushrooms or things that are not available here then...
The food cost in Nicaragua may depend on the standard of food that you want to buy. Everything is available here for you to buy, but if the item you want to buy is imported then it is more expensive. If you want to live on the same diet as the Nicaraguans, which is based on rice and beans with some proteins and vegetables, you can buy good here in Nicaragua for next to nothing. If you want to have wine with dinner, fillet mignon, mushrooms or things that are not available here then you pay more because all of these items are imported.
Posted October 5, 2014
Frank Martínez
Compared to the rest of Central America, we have the cheapest food here in Nicaragua, but we have the highest energy cost. I know it sounds odd but that’s how it is. Cheap labor is the name of the game here in Nicaragua. The average monthly salary in Nicaragua is US $250, which is why everything is so cheap.
You will find lobster, salmon, and caviar in any given supermarket. The cost, compared to the cost of food in the US, would be...
Compared to the rest of Central America, we have the cheapest food here in Nicaragua, but we have the highest energy cost. I know it sounds odd but that’s how it is. Cheap labor is the name of the game here in Nicaragua. The average monthly salary in Nicaragua is US $250, which is why everything is so cheap.
You will find lobster, salmon, and caviar in any given supermarket. The cost, compared to the cost of food in the US, would be about half the price. A dozen eggs cost about $2.40, rice is $.30 cents to $.40 cents per pound, chicken is $1.20 per pound, and the best quality meat (export quality) is about $4 per pound.
Posted December 9, 2014
Eddy Marin-Ruiz - The Mortgage Store Nicaragua
Food cost in Nicaragua depends on the type of food you are buying. If you are buying food that is produced in Nicaragua, the cost would be less than food that is imported. A box of Cheerios in Nicaragua costs US $12 while the national brand costs $1.50. My family spends about 60% of the amount we spent for food in the US. If you balance between imported food and non-imported food, it would cost you significantly less than it would if you were in the US. There is a...
Food cost in Nicaragua depends on the type of food you are buying. If you are buying food that is produced in Nicaragua, the cost would be less than food that is imported. A box of Cheerios in Nicaragua costs US $12 while the national brand costs $1.50. My family spends about 60% of the amount we spent for food in the US. If you balance between imported food and non-imported food, it would cost you significantly less than it would if you were in the US. There is a PriceMart in Managua, which is like a Costco, where you can buy in bulk and the prices are about the same as the prices in the US. Grapes, bacon, cheddar cheese are very expensive here in Nicaragua. We buy waffles at PriceMart and they are competitive in pricing to the US. You would save about 60% of how much you spend in the US if you balance between buying imported and local products. You can still splurge a little bit on some US food that you like.
We buy food in different places. We buy tortillas from a local vendor. We buy bread from the bakeshop instead of the grocery store. It is actually a fun process and we do it by choice. Most places sell all the stuff you need but we find better pricing individually and it’s also a process. We drive up 10 to 15 minutes to a fruit stand every Saturday. My family has cultivated a relationship with the guy at the fruit stand so we enjoy the process of doing that.
(Fruit stand in Managua, Nicaragua, featuring the red fruit known as pitaya or dragon fruit, pictured.)
Posted August 3, 2015
Jewel Hoff - Tierra de los Suenos
Your cost for food in Nicaragua will depend on what you like to eat; if you like to eat out or you like to cook in—it’s a huge difference. The good restaurants cost almost as much as the States. If you’re comparing the cost of food you bring home to cook or eat, I would say the cost in Nicaragua is from 30% to 50% less than in the States, depending on what you buy. If you like to eat steak, you’re going to pay for that. Fruits...
Your cost for food in Nicaragua will depend on what you like to eat; if you like to eat out or you like to cook in—it’s a huge difference. The good restaurants cost almost as much as the States. If you’re comparing the cost of food you bring home to cook or eat, I would say the cost in Nicaragua is from 30% to 50% less than in the States, depending on what you buy. If you like to eat steak, you’re going to pay for that. Fruits and vegetables are very cheap; they’re close to nothing. Vegetarians are having quite a good time here.
The least expensive food to buy here in Nicaragua is vegetables and fruits. The most expensive is beef, which is about 30% less than in the States. Chicken is about 30 to 40% less money. A lot of us go to a place called “PriceSmart,”which carries American food. If you go to go the supermarket and buy American food, you’re going to pay more for it here in Nicaragua. You pay less than in the States, but it’s still expensive compared to the general costs here. A lot of the American products are sold in the supermarkets here.
Here are some prices of fruits and vegetables here. I can buy about two pounds of tomatoes for 50 cents here. I can buy a huge avocado the size of a big grapefruit for about 75 cents. These things are locally grown, so they’re cheaper. The same is true with rice, which is cheaper, and beans, which are cheaper. Whatever the locals eat is cheaper.
Overall, I pay about half for food here in Nicaragua compared to what I used to spend in the States, but I do eat everything; I don’t worry about buying American-style food or American food. I like my sandwiches; I’ll but canned tuna to make tuna salad, and I’ll buy potatoes, which is more money here. (They grow some potatoes here, but not a lot. That’s why they’re more expensive.)
(Typical Nicaraguan yucca dish, vigoron served on a banana leaf, pictured.)
Posted September 18, 2015
Marissa Gabrielle Lolk - Jireh Dental Care
From my perspective after living here in Nicaragua, food is pricey if you buy food in the supermarket but it is all relative to what you think is pricey. There are different supermarkets that cater to different kinds of customer needs. There is La Colonia, which is a little bit more upscale, has a lot of international food, and the quality of the food is a little bit better. It is more organized and has air-conditioning, so their prices are towards the top end.
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From my perspective after living here in Nicaragua, food is pricey if you buy food in the supermarket but it is all relative to what you think is pricey. There are different supermarkets that cater to different kinds of customer needs. There is La Colonia, which is a little bit more upscale, has a lot of international food, and the quality of the food is a little bit better. It is more organized and has air-conditioning, so their prices are towards the top end.
We also have La Union, which is owned by Wal-Mart. They have items that are really nice and from the States as well. It is a little bit cheaper at La Union because sometimes they have food and sometimes they won’t. For example, you can buy fish sauce on one trip, and the next time you come to buy it again, it’s not there. It’s like the Rescue Run.
There is another place called Pali, which is a downscale supermarket. It is really hot, has no air-conditioning, there are no bags, and you have to take your items in baskets. It’s cheap in general but not in terms of vegetables or actual cuts of meat, chicken, or beef. Those items are actually a bit pricier in Pali.
There are also specialty places here like the butcher shops, which are called Bavaria. It is like a delicatessen but they sell free range beef and organic chicken, so it is a bit more costly to buy there than in the high end supermarkets, but you get much better poultry, beef, and pork, so the price is worth it. In terms of vegetables, it is better to go to the farmers’ market because they have the best deals for people on produce and fruits. You can even buy meat there in the farmers’ market, but you run a risk.
I buy food for 15 days. Sometimes I spend around 8,000 córdobas (US $285) if I go to La Colonia, which is an expensive place. I went over to La Union and ended up buying the same amount of food, including cleaning products, plastic bags, trash bags, deodorants, toothpaste, etc., and it came out to about 5,500 córdobas ($195), which is a significant saving. Then we tried to shop in Pali (the downscale supermarket), but I go nuts and I only lasted about 15 minutes in there. The only things I have noticed are cheaper are the cleaning products like dishwashing soap, detergent, etc. but it’s not that great so I actually skipped on it. I don’t really like Pali, but a lot of people do. I know people who are really rich and I know people who are really poor and both groups shop in Pali a lot, so it is a place to go and check out.
As for the marketplace, to get produce, we spend about 1,500 cordobas ($55) for 15 days’ worth of produce (including fruits) and we still have left over change. My shopping budget is good for 6 people – 4 adults and 2 children. We also have something like Sam’s Club or a Costco, which is called PriceMart, where you can buy things in bulk. PriceMart is actually very nice and they have two locations. There used to be only one and it was horrible because you have to duke it out with everyone from parking to shopping, etc. People act like they give away food, so it’s crazy. They just opened a PriceMart closer to our house and that is not crowded by shoppers so it’s really nice. It is all air-conditioned. You can go there and take your time. It is set up just like the ones we have back in the States, so when you feel homesick, you can always go to PriceMart and feel better.
There are also specialty places here like the butcher shops, which are called Bavaria. It is like a delicatessen but they sell free range beef and organic chicken, so it is a bit more costly to buy there than in the high end supermarkets, but you get much better poultry, beef, and pork, so the price is worth it. In terms of vegetables, it is better to go to the farmers’ market because they have the best deals for people on produce and fruits. You can even buy meat there in the farmers’ market, but you run a risk.
I buy food for 15 days. Sometimes I spend around 8,000 córdobas (US $285) if I go to La Colonia, which is an expensive place. I went over to La Union and ended up buying the same amount of food, including cleaning products, plastic bags, trash bags, deodorants, toothpaste, etc., and it came out to about 5,500 córdobas ($195), which is a significant saving. Then we tried to shop in Pali (the downscale supermarket), but I go nuts and I only lasted about 15 minutes in there. The only things I have noticed are cheaper are the cleaning products like dishwashing soap, detergent, etc. but it’s not that great so I actually skipped on it. I don’t really like Pali, but a lot of people do. I know people who are really rich and I know people who are really poor and both groups shop in Pali a lot, so it is a place to go and check out.
As for the marketplace, to get produce, we spend about 1,500 cordobas ($55) for 15 days’ worth of produce (including fruits) and we still have left over change. My shopping budget is good for 6 people – 4 adults and 2 children. We also have something like Sam’s Club or a Costco, which is called PriceMart, where you can buy things in bulk. PriceMart is actually very nice and they have two locations. There used to be only one and it was horrible because you have to duke it out with everyone from parking to shopping, etc. People act like they give away food, so it’s crazy. They just opened a PriceMart closer to our house and that is not crowded by shoppers so it’s really nice. It is all air-conditioned. You can go there and take your time. It is set up just like the ones we have back in the States, so when you feel homesick, you can always go to PriceMart and feel better.
(Ad for La Colonia supermarket, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted March 19, 2016