I can only give you what is true for Marilyn and myself. We live in Matagalpa and prices here will be somewhat different than say, in Managua.

For starters, here is a cost of living link that MAY be useful to you.
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Nicaragua

Here is a Word Press publication on cost of living in San Juan del Sur:
http://innicanow.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/one-months-living-expenses-san-juan-del-sur-nicaragua/

Here is a the Nica Community News article on monthly costs in Granada:
http://www.nicaragua-community.com/cost-of-living-granada-nicaragua/

That being said, in Matagalpa, this is our costs, thus far (we just moved here):
RENT: $380 for 2 bdrm, 2 bath, kitchen, living room
INTERNET: free with rent. In Managua, we paid $50/month
TELEPHONE line: free with rent.
ELECTRIC: $50/month
WATER: $5.00/month
BOTTLED WATER (5 gal size): 6 bottles for $9 (cost of exchanging empty for full bottles) .... 2 to 3 orders per month would be $18 to $27
TAXI: C$20 cordobas per person for a trip anywhere in the city. $8. USD/hr. This is variable for us as we can walk to most stores in centro Matagalp but take the taxi home if we are loaded down with pkgs such as groceries. When we first arrived we hired a taxi for 1/2 day to get things done in one fell swoop. We don't do that often as it can get expensive.
FOOD: too highly variable to really discuss. We are currently grocery shopping at La Colonial. Pricesmart is out of range of travel now so things are different on the budget.

Here are some other "thoughts" to consider:
PASSPORT EXTENSIONS: $50 for one month's extension.
CEDULAS: it cost us $300 each to hire someone to assist us in the application. It will cost another $300. each when we go to Immigration to get our Cedulas.

We recently made some BIG purchases and this might be helpful in understanding costs. I wrote this to an expat-to-be in Canada:
"We bought a washer, dryer, large metal desk with formica top and two side drawers, a dresser for the kitchen equipment and a pressure cooker. Total bill: $1,433.61 US. (C$36,084 cordobas). Everything was discounted. For example, the washer was discounted C$2000 cordobas.

(To break it down, the Lavadora Whirlpool was C$11,118.26 cordobas. The Secadora Whirlpool was C$12,2278.26 cordobas. The Comoda de Pino Mediana was C$4,530.43 cordobas. The Escritorio Contador was C$2,406.96. The Oster Olla de presion was C$1,043.48."

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00abuse

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the2bearsandme

sounds like you are paying a lot to live in Nicaragua. Maybe my cost differential is off, but it sounds like a lot. Are you really saving much by living in Nicaragua, considering bottled water, taxis, passport extensions and cedulas, etc., ? Is it really worth the work? I know that anybody moving to a different country better be doing it for other reasons than just to save a buck, but this sounds pretty complicated.

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00abuse

We are on a "tight" budget and made some mistakes the first 4 months we were here. It will take us until December / January to reach even keel and begin "living". It has taken its toll on us (the budget) but in the long run, we will be doing just fine. Moving is an expensive activity, no matter where you live in the US or in another country.

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00abuse

Well, I know people living on $300 a month (not the style I could handle) and we know people living on $5,000 a month. It seems many couples are living on $1200-$2500. Here is the article I wrote on our COL.

http://www.nicaragua-guide.com/cost-of-living.html

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00abuse

I have been reading your post and have a few questions if you don't mind. Would it be cheaper to buy new appliances there rather than shipping our own, and paying the import taxes? We are trying to learn as much as possible to help with our move. Also I am getting excited about our move now, and am not as nervous about it. I have been doing a lot of research and reading every thing I can on Nicaragua. Your post are very informative and a great help. Please keep them coming! THANK YOU!

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00abuse

Per recommendation of Mary, a former resident of Matagalpa (now living in Atlanta, GA ... friend of Marilyn's) .... we went to Commercial Calero Medieta and spoke specifically with the owner, Dona Muriel (mother of Mary's best friend). We bought a washer, dryer, large metal desk with formica top and two side drawers, a dresser for the kitchen equipment and a pressure cooker. Total bill: $1,433.61 US. (C$36,084 cordobas). Everything was discounted. For example, the washer was discounted C$2000 cordobas.

(To break it down, the Lavadora Whirlpool was C$11,118.26 cordobas. The Secadora Whirlpool was C$12,2278.26 cordobas. The Comoda de Pino Mediana was C$4,530.43 cordobas. The Escritorio Contador was C$2,406.96. The Oster Olla de presion was C$1,043.48.

Hope this helps with your decision making!
Regards,
Linda

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00abuse

Buy everything here except bed sheets or things that you can bring in a suitcase. The wait for things shipped and hassle is immense! Plus what happens if something breaks no one here will be able to get parts.

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00abuse